£4.2m for brain damaged woman

The High Court awarded £4.2m in compensation

A woman who suffered severe brain damage during birth has won millions in compensation.

Donna Mills, of Leeds, was delivered with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck at Manygates Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in May 1978.

Her £4.2m award is believed to be the highest ever paid to anyone suffering such injuries at birth.

The incident left Miss Mills suffering from cerebral palsy.

After the High Court hearing, Miss Mills' solicitor Rachelle Mahapatra said her client was delighted and would be celebrating at a disco.

He said: "After court she shared a bottle of champagne with her barristers in the pub."

Doctors missed cord problem

"Donna is very independent and this money will mean the rest of her life will be as comfortable as possible."

During the delivery, doctors failed to see she was struggling to breathe due to the cord around her neck.

However, her severe brain damage only became apparent later in life.

Legal proceedings began in May 1989 and Wakefield Health Authority admitted liability to medical negligence in August 1992.

Keith Salsbury, chief executive of Wakefield Health Authority, said: "We are pleased that a final settlement has now been agreed. It will enable Donna and her carers to plan out their future without any financial worries.

"It has taken a long time to reach a conclusion and the clinicians involved are no longer with the trust. Great progress in clinical methods have been made since the late 1970s and procedures have been put in place to prevent this ever happening again."

Miss Mills, who is currently studying business studies at college, is now hoping to move into her own home.