Widow seeks compensation in chickenpox case

6:40pm Friday 5th September 2008

A widow has started a High Court battle for compensation after her husband died after a bout of chickenpox.

Albert Anthony Hodge, known to his family and friends as “Tony” or “Stone”, died on August 28, 2005, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The writ issued by his wife Yolanda Arnold’s solicitors claims father-of-three Mr Hodge, a painter and decorator, died because of the hospital’s negligence.

Mrs Arnold, of Foxdown Road, Woodingdean, Brighton, brought the claim against the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust on behalf of herself and Mr Hodge’s children.

The writ describes Mr Hodge’s death as a “fatal accident” and valued the claim at more than £300,000.

Mr Hodge was born in the British overseas territory of Anguilla in the Caribbean. In February 2004, he travelled to England after suffering an eye inflammation and was treated at the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton. In August 2005, he contracted chickenpox and after seeing his GP went to the A&E department of the Royal Sussex.

After being sent home, he returned to the hospital on August 25 complaining of pains in his chest and stomach but the writ claims he was sent home and told to go to his GP if the pain continued. Two days later, he returned to the hospital with a letter from his doctor saying he had a rapid infection of “fulminant chickenpox” and had been coughing up blood.

Mr Hodge was admitted but developed multiple blood clots and renal failure and died at 11.45pm on August 28. He was 38.

It is alleged Mr Hodge died because his immune system was weakened by the steroid drugs he was still taking for his eye inflammation.

The writ claims staff in the A&E department either knew or should have known Mr Hodge’s immune system was affected by the steroids and should have treated him with anti-viral drugs.

In the writ Mrs Arnold’s solicitors claim the hospital admitted in an open letter its breach of duty on August 24, 2005, had caused Mr Hodge’s death.

A tribute from Mrs Arnold on the day of their daughter’s second birthday last year said: “Now it is a bittersweet day without you here to help celebrate.”

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