Personal Injury Cases

Whiplash Injury results in damages of £1.85 million

Believed highest award recovered in England for whiplash injury.We recovered £1.85 million for our client in this case, who was 44years old at the time of her road traffic accident.

Her injuries caused intrusive neck and back pain, vestibular dysfunction causing nausea, dizziness and cognitive problems, and fatigue.

The Claimant consulted us after she was dissatisfied at the way the firm she had originally instructed were handling her claim. We took it over and carried out a detailed investigation of what the Claimant‘s injuries were and how this had affected her life.

Once all the information was to hand we arranged a meeting with the Defendant‘s legal team and we were able to negotiate a settlement for our client. In this case, as is usually the case, we could settle the
matter without the client having to go to court.

Broken Foot - £22,000

This young woman was very keen on horses. When she was 15, her horse stumbled in a large pothole in the lane near where she lives. The horse was only walking at the time. It fell with its full weight on her, breaking a bone in her foot and also injuring her back. The injury meant that riding became too painful for her. We brought a claim against the Local Authority responsible for the lane. They denied liability and blamed her for the accident but eventually they settled the claim for £22,000.

Fall on moving bus - £15,125

An elderly lady fell when the bus she had boarded pulled away from the bus stop sharply before she had been able to sit down. She complained of back pain, which was severe enough to keep her off work for several months. She was then due to retire in any event. She continued to find heavy housework, gardening, and walking her dog difficult. The bus company would not admit liability despite independent witness evidence confirming that the bus had jerked away sharply causing our client to fall. The case settled shortly before trial for £15,125.

Car crash death - £52,000

Our client‘s husband was killed in a car crash. The other driver did not stop but has registration number was noted down by a witness. The Police investigated but there was not enough evidence to prosecute. The driver did not have any insurance. We investigated and concluded there was enough evidence to show the other driver was to blame to enable our client to recover compensation. We notified the Motor Insurers Bureau(MIB) who look after cases where no insurance company has been identified.

The MIB initially denied liability so we had to start legal proceedings. Eventually they agreed that our client would succeed. The MIB argued that our client‘s husband health was very bad before the accident and so she should not be entitled to much compensation. Despite this, shortly before trial they agreed to pay £52,000. Our client was able to decorate her council house, which her husband had been doing when he died. She subsequently bought it.

Car crash whiplash - £34,000

Our client was in her stationary car when it was struck from behind. Our client sustained whiplash injuries. She took time off from her job as an administrator in a local school. When she returned her neck would ache regularly after sitting down. She had trouble reaching up high. Doctors agreed that these symptoms though minor would be permanent.

The other driver‘s insurance company admitted liability but were only prepared to pay £22,000. We advised our client that that was not enough and the claim was worth £32,000 - 36,000. At trial our client was awarded £34,000

Lifting at work caused hernia - £300,000

Our client suffered a hernia as a result of a lifting injury at work. Some three months later he had an operation to repair the hernia. However the pain he was suffering from didn‘t get any better. It was so bad that he could hardly walk. It affected everything he did. He has not been able to return to work since the accident to earn the money needed to support his family. The doctors told him that he should get better and that they could find no cause for his continuing pain. It was only nearly three years after the accident that he finally began to accept that he might never get better. He then began to wonder whether something may have gone wrong with his operation, and asked us to investigate that initially. We advised him that he might also have a claim against his employers because of the type of lifting he had to do which caused the hernia.

After investigating the medical treatment our client received we could find no evidence of anything having gone wrong in the operation, and then concentrated our investigations on the circumstances of the accident. It was a long time since the accident happened and his employers said they had no record of the accident occurring. We had to trace witnesses who had long since moved or left the company. There was the additional problem that no-one knew why he was still in so much pain as there was no obvious physical cause.

Eventually we recovered £300,000 from his former employer‘s insurers. This has allowed our client to buy more suitable accommodation, as he could no longer manage stairs, and a car and electric wheelchair so that he can get out of the house more easily.

The amount of compensation depends very much on the sort of injury you have had, how much medical treatment you have needed, how the injury has affected you, how much time off work you have had, how much care you have needed from other people and, crucially, what the future holds.

No two claims are exactly the same, which is why it is essential to have a specialist solicitor to advise and guide you.

In the more serious cases it may not be possible to work out the proper compensation until the injuries have settled down and the medical expert can make an accurate prediction about the future. When this happens your solicitor will advise you about claiming an interim payment so you can get on with life and are not left waiting for things you need to buy. A specialist solicitor will always try and deal with the claim to maximise your early rehabilitation.

Other recent awards

Slipping while patient in Hospital - £42,500"

Back injured while rescuing colleague - £170,000

Lost index finger at work - £52,000

Abused as child - £25,000

Minor whiplash - £1,800

Handicapped son breaks leg - £9000

Fell due to pothole in road £15,250

Cupboard fell on head at work - £14,250

Skiing Accident - £40,000

Motorway smash - £140,000

Facial and head injuries in motorcycle accident - £200,000

Head injuries after being knocked down on zebra crossing - £580,000

Injured hip in road traffic accident - £280,000

Links

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
Legal Services Commission