
Woman secures more than £1.5m after suffering a brain infection from a HALO fixation device
A woman who suffered neurological injuries from a brain infection after she was fitted with a HALO fixation device she did not need has received more than £1.5m in compensation.
Posted on 25 October 2024
In 2014, the woman, who we have called Helen, was cycling home when she was in collision with a car in central London. Paramedics at the scene recorded that she had ‘bullseyed’ into the car’s windscreen. They applied a protective collar, and she was transferred to the Royal London Hospital.
At the hospital, Helen underwent a CT scan which showed an undisplaced fracture of the anterior arch of the C1 vertebra right - a vertebra in the neck towards the top of the spine - and she was given a cervical collar.
After examination, the neurosurgeon at the hospital noted that Helen had no neck pain, no paraesthesia, normal sensation and was able to move all four of her limbs. It was also noted that she had no focal neurological deficits such as abnormal reflexes or the inability to speak.
Despite these observations, Helen was advised to have a HALO fixation device fitted. When she was told that fitting a HALO device would involve drilling into her skull, Helen asked for other treatment options. However, the neurosurgeon explained that there were no other treatment options available, and Helen felt she had to agree to treatment with the HALO device.
Management of the HALO device after it was fitted involved regular visits to hospital to have the screws holding the pins in place tightened. At one of these tightening appointments, a junior doctor drove the right posterior pin through Helen’s skull. Despite Helen complaining of extreme pain, the incident was not understood by the doctor at the time and Helen was discharged.
Over the next few days, Helen suffered persistent headaches, dizziness, and nausea. After deteriorating further, she was readmitted to hospital and the pin was discovered to be inside her skull.
The pin and HALO device were removed and nylon sutures were applied over the holes in the skull. This effectively locked in infection at the wound-site, meaning that it could only go deeper. Despite expressing concern that she had possibly suffered a brain injury, Helen was discharged from hospital without antibiotics.
A few days later, Helen deteriorated still more and was again re-admitted to hospital where CT scanning revealed a brain abscess. A needle aspiration of the abscess failed, and Helen suffered a stroke requiring her to need an emergency decompressive craniectomy surgery. This involved removing part of her skull bone in order to deal with the abscess.
Helen then underwent the insertion of a cranioplasty plate (an artificial bone flap) to repair the part of her skull that had been removed. However, due to ongoing infection issues she had to have this procedure repeated numerous times in the following years.
Helen now lives with the consequences of this ordeal. She has impaired vision, left-sided weakness, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Helen instructed Anna Brothers, Leigh Day solicitor and partner in the clinical negligence department, to investigate her case, who was assisted by solicitor Amy Cassar-Pullicino. Experts in neurosurgery, microbiology, neurology, and psychiatry were instructed who identified various failings in Helen’s care and treatment; most notably that her spinal fracture did not require a HALO device for a full recovery, and that earlier opportunities to identify and treat her brain infection were missed.
The hospital apologised and admitted liability for causing Helen’s injuries, and offered £500,000 in compensation. However, Helen’s legal team at Leigh Day advised her to reject that sum considering the extent of her injuries and lasting symptoms.
Further experts were instructed to accurately assess Helen’s condition and prognosis so that she could be adequately compensated for her injuries. After more negotiations, a settlement of £1,650,000 was secured for Helen.
Anna Brothers said:
“This case highlights how important it is for patients, like Helen, to be properly informed of their options and why it is imperative for medical professionals to obtain valid consent before treatment is commenced. We have achieved compensation for Helen, but money cannot rectify the damage that has been done to her. However, we hope that the case has allowed Helen to focus on her ongoing recovery and to build a better future for herself.”

Man went blind in one eye after Specsavers faxed a referral for emergency eye surgery to the wrong hospital
A man from Kidderminster has received a six-figure settlement for a life-altering eye injury he suffered after Specsavers admitted they were negligent in failing to properly refer him for emergency surgery.