Reference no: EM133638518

Case: Andy wanted to qualify as a plumber and so he became an apprentice with a local plumber, Manuel. One weekend after Andy had been training for a month his neighbour, Gayatry, asked if he would have a look at her heating because the radiators were not getting very hot. Andy had seen Manuel deal with a similar problem the week before and thought he could remember how to fix it by removing the radiators and cleaning them. Unfortunately, he forgot to drain the water first, so that, when he removed the radiator, the water flooded Gayatry's lounge and damaged the wooden flooring.

Andy slipped on the puddle of water on the floor and hurt his arm. He went to hospital, where he was seen by Dr Salt. It was usual practice to x-ray an injured arm if the patient had fallen, but Dr Salt was one of a minority of doctors who believed that the radiation from x-rays was dangerous and should be avoided where possible. He therefore sent Andy home and told him to come back in a week if the arm still hurt. After a week, Andy returned to the hospital, where he was seen by another doctor, who x-rayed his arm and found that it had been broken in the fall and was now permanently deformed. This could easily have been avoided if Andy's arm had been x-rayed and set in a plaster cast when he was first examined by Dr Salt.

Advise Gayatry and Andy as to any claims that they may have in negligence.