Medical Report
Feb. 27th, 2004 07:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dennyI got a copy of the consultant's first report on my leg today... this is the consultant hired by the insurance/lawyer side of things, rather than the surgeon who actually fixed my leg. His job is to write an impartial report that can be submitted as evidence in court when trying to decide how much money I should be paid in compensation for my injuries.
It's not happy-making reading. I'm not sure how much of this is 'cover all bases' stuff, as he does say that he can't make any useful statements at this time and wants to examine me again in 18 months, but... here is an excerpt from the summary that sticks in my mind:
"He is at risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee. There is also a risk this fracture will not fully heal. I would expect that Mr De La Haye will not return to the pre-accident state."
So that's cheerful news.
In other news, apparently I have "mild medial collateral ligament laxity" in the right knee, which is an almost amusing turn of phrase. I think it means my knee now wobbles in directions that it shouldn't.
Anyway, this report being in, my lawyer is now going to press the other party for another settlement offer, and if they're not willing to make one or I don't like the one they make (which seems likely) then she can start the process of issuing proceedings and getting us into court to settle the question of 'who was to blame' (and 'by how much' if the judge decides it's a bit of both). Then there will be another round of haggling and possibly court proceedings in 2 years time when we start trying to argue over the settlement figure for the injury compensation, after a second medical report is made. Fun eh? In the meantime, I presume there's some chance of haggling the sum owed due to 'loss of potential earnings' out of them a bit faster, but even that is going to be trickier than a simple 'loss of earnings' claim would have been, so there's no telling how long it will all take in the end.
My lawyer has once again asked the other side to cough up some more cash to keep my bills paid while we wait, but it's at their discretion whether or not they give me anything at this stage. We'll see.
It's not happy-making reading. I'm not sure how much of this is 'cover all bases' stuff, as he does say that he can't make any useful statements at this time and wants to examine me again in 18 months, but... here is an excerpt from the summary that sticks in my mind:
"He is at risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee. There is also a risk this fracture will not fully heal. I would expect that Mr De La Haye will not return to the pre-accident state."
So that's cheerful news.
In other news, apparently I have "mild medial collateral ligament laxity" in the right knee, which is an almost amusing turn of phrase. I think it means my knee now wobbles in directions that it shouldn't.
Anyway, this report being in, my lawyer is now going to press the other party for another settlement offer, and if they're not willing to make one or I don't like the one they make (which seems likely) then she can start the process of issuing proceedings and getting us into court to settle the question of 'who was to blame' (and 'by how much' if the judge decides it's a bit of both). Then there will be another round of haggling and possibly court proceedings in 2 years time when we start trying to argue over the settlement figure for the injury compensation, after a second medical report is made. Fun eh? In the meantime, I presume there's some chance of haggling the sum owed due to 'loss of potential earnings' out of them a bit faster, but even that is going to be trickier than a simple 'loss of earnings' claim would have been, so there's no telling how long it will all take in the end.
My lawyer has once again asked the other side to cough up some more cash to keep my bills paid while we wait, but it's at their discretion whether or not they give me anything at this stage. We'll see.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-27 01:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-27 03:57 pm (UTC)D'you want me to keep lobbing IT-related jobs at you as and when I hear of them? Many may not be relevant, but if you can give me a bit of an idea what your specialities are, I can be a bit more specific.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-27 04:57 pm (UTC)Generally if it's for me then the word 'Perl' will feature extremely prominently. Other good words include 'Linux', 'CGI', and 'SQL' and/or 'MySQL'.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 01:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 03:15 am (UTC)**giggle**
Oh babe... **nuggles tightly** I'm going to send you lots of thoughts and huggles and keep EVERYTHING crossed for you on the job hunting. You need some good news. In the end, keep in mind that the report came from someone who is NOT your official doctor... I know it gets hard to keep optimistic in these kind of situations.
I'm thinking of you hon, and as I said in my message last night, if you need a visit and some cheering up, let me know and I'm there!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 03:24 am (UTC)On the plus side, this might mean that you get more in compensation...which obviously still won't actually compensate, but is a minor bonus. I have no idea really how positive or negative they tend to be in those kind of reports.
I've finally registered on the Cambridge careers website so will look out for jobs for you with the above words in.
Looking forward to seeing you tonight! *bounces*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 03:38 am (UTC)I was told that I'd probably walk with a limp for the rest of my life after my accident, and in the end I was fine.
I did limp for a couple of years, and I still do on occasional cold mornings these days, but doctors are often more pessimistic about these things than they need to be.
I'd start taking cod-liver oil capsules now though. Arthritis is pretty much inevitable after any major broken bone, and there's no point waiting until you feel the first twinges before you start dealing with it.
(Which reminds me, I haven't had mine yet this morning....)
It probably isn't going to be anything like as bad as they say.
This is, after all, the report they're using to get money out of the other side, so they're bound to be painting the blackest picture they possibly can.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 03:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 08:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-02-28 10:39 am (UTC)Cod liver oil +++. Capsules, not the actual oil, because the oil tastes like what comes out of a fish when you gut it. Um, oddly enough. And don't take up karate, and certainly not ju-jitsu.