Girl who sustained life-changing injuries during birth at Ulster Hospital set for £5m payout
The settlement is believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland.
A nine-year-old girl who sustained life-changing injuries during birth at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast is all set to be awarded more than £5m in damages.
In 2008, the County Down girl, who cannot be identified, was starved of oxygen to the brain at the hospital in Dundonald.
Due to shortage of oxygen, she developed severe cerebral palsy. She now has a limited life expectancy and has extensive care requirements, the BBC reported.
The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust was sued for alleged medical negligence by the girl's family.
After a prolonged legal battle, a court was told it would not contest liability.
The settlement is intended to cover life-long care needs. The family's lawyer said the agreed settlement can exceed £5m.
He added that the legal team had secured an "interim payment of £500,000 to assist in this girl's immediate needs and relieve some of the family's stress".
The settlement is believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland, according to the BBC.
"This isn't a lottery win for the family, it's very small recompense for what they have gone through," the lawyer said.
"They were failed at the birth of their child, and this has had massive repercussions on the wider family circle."
