Ex-nurse to receive $850k for fall at PoS hospital
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A former nurse will receive $850,000 in compensation after suffering injuries in a fall at the old Central Block of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital in 2018.
The settlement was reached after the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) conceded liability at the start of the trial before Justice Westmin James on September 23.
According to court documents, the nurse, who requested anonymity for security reasons, was carrying linens on Ward 41 in June 2018 when her foot slipped into a hole with broken cement fragments. Her ankle twisted, she lost balance, and a male nurse assisted her to a nearby desk.
She later underwent reconstructive surgery and was deemed unfit to return to duty by the medical board. In June 2024, she was retired on medical grounds.
The fall occurred months before the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in August 2018, which badly damaged the Central Block. The building was declared unsafe, 122 patients were relocated to other facilities, and the block was demolished in 2022. The new replacement building has yet to open.
“I continue to suffer pain in the left ankle with decreased range of motion and persistent swelling,” the nurse said in her lawsuit. “Even today, more than seven years later, I cannot climb stairs or walk long distances without pain or assistance. Activities I once enjoyed, simple things like even standing for long periods, have become difficult or impossible. My quality of life has been permanently altered.”
She added that the injury forced her into early retirement, ending her career and causing major financial loss.
Abdel Mohammed and Shania Sinanan represented the nurse in the matter.
