Tragic Case Involving a Home Water Birth
2 Oct 2022 | Nicholas Leahy
Table of Contents
Introduction to the case
Nicholas Leahy is acting for a young woman who had a water birth at home and two midwives were allocated to her at the very last minute. One of the midwives was newly qualified and expressed concern about attending the Claimant’s home due to inexperience. The other midwife was on her way to another appointment when she was told to divert to the Claimant’s home to assist in delivering the Claimant’s baby. The situation was fraught with difficulty and mistakes were sadly made. Tragically, the Claimant’s baby was delivered stillborn, and a claim was pursued and successfully settled after a Serious Untoward Incident Report identified significant failings.
Specialist legal advice and support
Osbornes Law specialises in assisting families who have experienced birth injuries. We have represented families who have faced the loss of a newborn during childbirth or where insufficient maternity care, whether it occurred before, during, or after labour, resulted in harm to the baby or mother.
Our dedicated team is led by Stephanie Prior, with over twenty-five years of experience supporting families in pursuing birth injury claims and holding NHS Trusts accountable. Before her career as a lawyer, Stephanie was a senior NHS nurse. This background equips her with a deep understanding of medical terminology and procedures, enabling her to detect any irregularities within her clients’ medical records swiftly.
To speak with Nicholas Leahy about your situation and to find out if it may be possible for you to bring a claim, please fill in the form below and we will reply.
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Stephanie takes on very tricky cases and battles them. She gets the results as well.
Stephanie is absolutely fantastic. She works incredibly hard for her clients and has a great deal of compassion.
Stephanie has the respect of clients and their families and is clearly well thought of by opponents. She works endlessly to secure the best results, showing great tenacity of purpose.
Stephanie brings huge experience and an intricate understanding of the most complicated clinical negligence cases, which she is able to simplify.
Stephanie is a very dedicated and able lawyer in clinical negligence.
Stephanie is approachable and a pleasure to work with.
Stephanie Prior works extremely hard to achieve the best outcomes for her clients
Stephanie has the respect of opponents and is tenacious.
Stephanie knows entirely how to run a case with thoroughness and dedication, she identifies issues early and deals with them efficiently
Stephanie totally gets the detail, she's very pragmatic, she works out what matters and what needs to be done. She's very good at giving the right advice.
Stephanie Prior leads the team with real experience and commitment to her clients. Able to spot a good case early on and see it through to conclusion.
Stephanie Prior leads a strong and competent team.
With 10 years of experience as a registered general nurse, stephanie is well placed to support clients through complex and sensitive claims.
Stephanie Prior ‘leads the team with real experience and commitment to her clients’
"She has represented victims in a number of high-profile cases."
"Stephanie Prior is very empathetic and practical, she gets to the heart of a case quickly."
"Stephanie Prior is highly respected in the marketplace, with a great wealth of experience, superb judgment and medical knowledge that is second to none."
"Stephanie has always shown great judgment and common sense whilst building valuable relationships with her opponents."
"Stephanie Prior is a standout solicitor."
"Stephanie Prior is an experienced lawyer with immense knowledge of her specialism, which allows her to run her cases with strategic precision."
"Stephanie knows her way effortlessly around any clinical negligence issue and has a great strategic mind."
"She works tirelessly for her clients and is incredibly focused on their needs. Attention to detail is key and she is meticulous."
"She's a very committed lawyer and always has the best interest of the client at heart."
"Stephanie Prior is excellent to deal with. She keeps everything up to date and works extremely hard for the clients and their families."
Stephanie Prior is very experienced, with an encyclopaedic medical knowledge. Fights tooth and nail for her clients.
Stephanie Prior is a first-rate clinical negligence specialist whose industry, great experience and medical background put her in an exceptional class.
Stephanie Prior is a superb senior practitioner with an accurate eye for the nub of a case and an acute sense of the merit of any claim.
A very experienced team headed up by the wonderful Stephanie Prior, who has a fantastic reputation in the marketplace.
"I know [we have] expressed our appreciation, but I also wanted to thank you for all your hard work, time and patience in pursuing mum’s claim through to a successful outcome - your kind and professional approach was genuinely appreciated."
“May I take this opportunity to thank you for your patience and true compassion in yet another very tough year of representation on the behalf of my wife. I certainly must say you did it all with amazing stamina and positivity which regenerated my self-esteem…. You honestly eased the pain and I can see a healing process ahead.”
Stephanie has developed a particularly strong reputation for her handling of birth injury claims, as well as cases concerning surgical negligence and delays in surgery.
"Stephanie Prior takes on complex cases and gets excellent results. She has a background in medicine which serves her clients well and is a realistic but tough litigator."
"Stephanie Prior is hugely dedicated, adored by her clients, tenacious, efficient and extremely knowledgeable."
"Stephanie Prior is very good with troubled clients and is easily able to make them feel at ease."
"Stephanie shows sensitivity and deals with things in an understanding way."
The lawyers in the team are highly experienced and will drive cases very hard on behalf of their clients.
"Stephanie Prior has a realistic attitude to the complexities of the cases. She wins the trust of her clients and goes the extra mile to ensure they get the best outcomes."
Stephanie’s background in medicine gives her an ability to read between the lines where medical records and expert evidence are concerned and is a great asset.
"Her knowledge base is second to none and her understanding of the litigation process stands out, as does her ability to work collaboratively."
"Stephanie Prior... manages a varied caseload, including obstetric claims, child and adult brain injury cases and fatal and non-fatal spinal cord injury cases."
"Stephanie is experienced, knowledgeable of all aspects of clinical negligence work, and strategic in running cases."
"Key team members include the approachable, compassionate and efficient Stephanie Prior."
Stephanie Prior is always very professional and kind. Highly recommended.
Stephanie Prior is ‘very warm’ and ‘caring’, and an ‘exceptional professional’.
Stephanie Prior continues to receive widespread praise from clients, who state that she explains the legal aspects of the case very clearly, and she is also a caring person who handles cases on a personal level.
