My SAH and Ensuing Events by Penny

At last I can reveal what happened to me. Be ready for a long read....

In Feb 2004, on a Monday, I was hit on the head by a ball of ice thrown at me with force, in a laboratory, by a pupil. I had a severe headache for the rest of that day and went home early. He was made to apologise, which he did with a smirk. Tuesday and Wednesday after the event I still went into work with this headache that nothing would move and came home early on both those days.

On the Wednesday I cooked tea, ate it, made a phone call and then my head seemed to explode. Hubby dialled 999 and I was rushed to the local hospital where it was found I had suffered a brain haemorrhage. I was then blue lighted to a specialist neuro unit in Sheffield where apparently I spent several days on life support, I had the burst coiled, then developed hydrocephalus and had a shunt fitted. I was in hospital for about 5 weeks. All I have said is from what I have been told as I have no memories whatsoever of that time or for a couple of months afterwards and then only vague memories.

The haemorrhage and ensuing hydrocephalus is what left me disabled due to brain damage.

My union rep told me to claim compensation some weeks after I had been discharged which the union took up. No compensation was paid from County as the report I made of the incident “went missing” conveniently.

The solicitor then took the case to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Panel, I went to one tribunal in 2006 and they wanted more medical evidence so they got a report off a neurologist. To another tribunal in 2008 and the preceding events had been ignored in their medical report. This tribunal said that I had been the victim of a crime of violence and decided to contact the neuro who did their report with evidence of the blow to the head. This they did and after 2 years of waiting my solicitor chased them up. No reply had been received from the CICAP specialist so my case had been ignored.

I had to have yet another medical report done and the last tribunal I attended on Tuesday 15th March, this year. I actually had 2 medical reports that said that the aneurism, which I didn’t know I had got, would have changed dynamics after the bang on the head. They totally disregarded that evidence.

This is the tribunal that failed.

The reasons given were

1) That I didn’t go to the doctors with the headache. Would you and be laughed out of the surgery?

2) I had carried on working even though I came home early each day.

3) The school was being shut and merged with another and no one could be sure of their jobs and that I thought it was a way to get some money. Bearing in mind there was no way I could have worked anyway after my illness and it happened before jobs were allocated, so I didn’t know at that time if I would be out of work, which I doubt because county had a redeployment policy.

I really felt as though I was being called a liar and that really hurts.

In the case of me having no job I would have got my pension enhanced anyway, so there was no problem.

My barrister said that the result was very harsh.

I came away feeling as small as small and even now I feel so upset that basically I was called a liar.

Yes I agree, the money would have been useful to help me with my disability but what you have never had you don’t miss. At least, after so many years there is closure.

All I can do is thank the union for funding all this.