A woman injured in a horse-riding accident is suing an NHS hospital over claims she was forced to have her leg amputated when they botched her care.
Rachel Rutherford wants £300,000 in compensation from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, who she says ruined her life.
The 48-year-old underwent five operations before surgeons decided her leg could not be saved, leaving her suffering from severe phantom limb pain, depression and problems with mobility.
According to legal documents lodged with the High Court, in London, Ms Rutherford’s leg and knee were badly injured when she was knocked into a fence by a bolting horse in 2020.
She underwent an initial five-hour operation to repair a fractured shin bone, which involved inserting metalwork into her damaged leg.
Rachel Rutherford is asking for £300,000 in compensation from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (pictured: Royal Cornwall Hospital)
Ms Rutherford’s leg and knee were badly injured when she was knocked into a fence by a bolting horse in 2020 (file image)
Jon Matthews, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, instructed colleagues to closely monitor her afterwards for ‘compartment syndrome’, a painful condition which occurs when there is too much swelling within a muscle, restricting blood flow to the limb.
But Ms Rutherford claims hospital staff failed to properly assess her leg after surgery and did not comply with Mr Matthews’s instructions.
She was in so much pain that she underwent a second operation, lasting nine hours, before later needing more surgery to try to reduce the pressure.
Eventually, after a fifth unsuccessful operation, surgeons decided there was no alternative but to amputate her leg above the knee. The operation took place at another hospital, closer to her family home.
The court will hear that, as well as suffering continued pain, Ms Rutherford, of Helston, Cornwall, requires long-term rehabilitation and physiotherapy and has also been prescribed antidepressants.
She said: ‘I enjoyed long hikes and walked everywhere. However, that’s all completely gone and it’s difficult to find the words to describe how my life has changed. I went from being independent to reliant on others.’
Ms Rutherford claims that, had it not been for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust’s negligence, she would not have needed her leg amputated. She says that if an operation or operations to relieve the swelling in her leg had been carried out sooner, amputation would have been avoided and she would likely have made a full recovery.
The hospital has admitted breach of duty in failing to carry out emergency surgery to release pressure on her leg but denies the breach led to the amputation.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was approached for comment.