R1.7m claim for nail in eye
A man is claiming damages from Gauteng’s premier and Health MEC over the care he received after a nail got lodged in his eye.
|||Pretoria - Dean Eis, 22, who lost sight in one eye after a nail “ accidentally lodged” in it while he was working, is claiming R1.7 million in damages from the premier of Gauteng and the MEC for health.
Els said in papers before the high court in Pretoria that he received sub-standard care from specialists at Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg and at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital.
He argues he would have retained his eyesight had he received proper care. He did not explain in his application how it came about that the nail got lodged in his eye, but he did say that he was at work on July 7, 2011, when the incident occurred.
He was rushed to Tambo Memorial Hospital, where he claimed he was briefly examined by an ophthalmologist, who then referred him to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
Els said a specialist simply conducted a reading test on him by making him read the letters on “a small board on the wall”.
Eye drops were administered to his eye and he was told “all is fine and I could go home”.
He subsequently lost all sight in his one eye and blames the health authorities for this. He claimed he was refused proper treatment and did not even receive the minimum treatment required for a person who had suffered severe blunt force trauma to the eye.
Apart from losing his eyesight, he said he also suffered severe shock and trauma as a result.
He said he could no longer work and would require psychological treatment.
The court gave him the green light to proceed with his claim.
elda.venter@inl.co.za
Pretoria News