Personal Injury Case Studies

Taxi Accident

Our client, a 28 year old bar manager and avid local league football player, was travelling home in the back of a taxi when the taxi was hit head-on by a car coming in the opposite direction at over 50mph.

As a result of the collision our client was injured in the neck, shoulders, back and ankle. These injuries affected our client’s ability to work and to continue playing football. We recognized how important it was for our client to get treatment started so that he could resume normal life as quickly as possible.

As a first step we arranged for him to see a Consultant near where he lived. The Consultant advised a course of physiotherapy which we were able to arrange privately. We also ensured this was paid for by the defendant’s insurers.

Our client was able both to return to work and to start playing football again. In the meantime we continued negotiating with the defendant’s insurers and obtained a full settlement of his case with compensation for his injuries.

Uneven surface

Our client was 37 and working full time in healthcare information technology when she caught her foot on an uneven surface walking home with her father.

Although the tarmac on the road was broken and uneven at a crossing point our client did not try to  claim initially. However nearly three years after the accident she was still suffering from pain and decided to contact us for advice.

We immediately arranged for her to see a Consultant Orthopedic surgeon who advised her that the injury would need surgery. We advised our client that she had a good case and that we would be happy to act on her behalf.

The Council denied liability for the accident and, unusually, the case went to trial where we were successful in obtaining compensation for our client.

E v M & Another.

Mr E was a pedestrian about to cross a road at a pedestrian crossing.  Mr E started to cross the road because he thought the green man was indicating that it was safe to cross. He did not notice an approaching car and continued to cross. The car failed to stop, injuring our client who was then taken by ambulance  to hospital where he underwent an operation to pin his leg.

Mr E asked us for advice although he could not remember exactly what had happened and the police had decided not to take any further action against the driver of the car. On reading the police report we saw that it stated the red man on the crossing lights was not working. Another firm of solicitors had already refused to take on Mr E’s case, but we felt that we could be successful and arranged for further investigation of the case and in particular of the state of the traffic lights at the time.

We were able to obtain evidence, from a man who lived on the same road, that the red man had not been working and that he had reported this to the local authority and the highway authority. Despite being told the light would be fixed, he confirmed that it was still not working when he checked the lights after the accident.

Initially both the driver of the vehicle and the highway authority denied liability, but once shown the evidence we had collected their insurers put forward an offer and we were able to settle our client’s claim.

Occupiers Liability Claim

Our client, a young mother shopping in large out-of-town shopping Mall, slipped on a liquid believed to be oil. She fell, injuring her ankle, knee and back. She reported the accident to the customer service centre and was told that another customer had also reported he had slipped.

When our client heard nothing from the shopping Mall she decided to ask us for advice. We immediately arranged for our client to see a consultant and then forwarded his report and a claim for compensation to the Shopping Mall.

As the owners of the Mall continued to ignore our client’s claim we issued proceedings resulting in an offer of compensation which our client accepted. This prompt action by us ensured our client received the compensation to which she was entitled and which it was highly unlikely she would have received without our help.

Occupier Liability Accident

Our client was shopping with her father and her young children in a small convenience store when she tripped over a crate of beer left in the aisle. She left the store without complaining because she felt embarrassed. However during the day her leg became more painful and swollen and she decided to go to the A & E  centre at her local hospital. She also contacted the Manager of the store who apologized and said he would come round later with a case of wine by way of apology.

The Manager never went to see our client and over the next few weeks her leg worsened. She then contacted us for help. We carried out some investigations into the circumstances of the accident and wrote to the store claiming compensation. The store’s insures claimed that the store video showed that our client had in fact been at fault because she had been looking at a display and fallen backwards. We were able to produce our client’s hospital and GP records which showed that this was wholly untrue as our client had not suffered any injuries to the back of her legs or her bottom. The store also refused to let us have a copy of the video.

As a result of our research and investigations, the store’s insurers then agreed to accept our client’s claim and to pay compensation for her injuries.

Occupiers Liability Claim for a tripping accident

Our client was visiting her boyfriend’s flat when she fell over in the backyard area of the block. The area was unlit and surface was uneven.

We advised our client that it was the responsibility of the owner of the flats to ensure the back area was safe and wrote to them claiming compensation. The owner’s insurers replied claiming that the owner had no knowledge of the accident.

This was untrue as our client had met the owner coming down the stairs of the block of flats with a walking stick a few days after the accident. When he asked what had happened our client told him and took him to see where she had fallen down a hole. He commented that it did seem dangerous, apologised and a few days later arranged a repair.

It seemed to us that the owner of the flats was deliberately delaying this claim in the hope that he could avoid having to settle it. We therefore advised our client that we needed to increase the pressure on the owner and issue proceedings. Following this the owner’s insurers promptly agreed to settle the case.

Mr F

Mr F, a 92 year old pensioner living in Local Authority sheltered accommodation tripped on the outdoor steps of the accommodation, injuring his shoulder and knee. Mr F. had previously asked for a handrail to be put in place because he felt the steps were unsafe to use without one.

Mr F, clearly needed help if he was to make a claim against the local authority, so we organised supporting witness statements, photographic evidence of the location and obtained the evidence of his requests for a handrail. We also used Mr R F’s medical records to support his case.

As a result of our work were able to obtain a settlement of the case, something Mr F. could not have done on his own.

Car Accident

Our clients, a mother and son in the same car being driven by the son, were injured when a car ran into the back of them. Although the driver of the other car tried to deny liability it was quickly established that he was at fault.

Unusually, our clients only became aware that they could be entitled to compensation just under three years after the accident when they contacted us for advice. We immediately took action to protect our client’s case and as a result our prompt action enabled our clients to receive the compensation to which they were entitled.