Irwin Mitchell's specialist international travel claims department have successfully recovered in excess of €800,000 for our client, Mrs Hanger, for the serious brain injury that she sustained whilst on holiday in Rome.
Mrs Hanger, who was aged 52 at the time of the accident, had gone to Italy for a holiday with her husband in 2000. She was crossing a busy road in Rome when she was knocked over by a scooter. She was rushed to the Ospedale Santo Spirito hospital where she had lifesaving brain surgery and spent a month recovering until she was well enough to travel back to the UK by air ambulance. Back home, Mrs Hanger was admitted to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and then Colman hospital, where she remained until June 2001. There then followed 18 months of rehabilitation at home and at the Colman hospital as an outpatient.
Mrs Hanger and her husband received information and advice from the brain injury charity, Headway where they first heard about Irwin Mitchell’s expertise in dealing with accidents abroad. They are both grateful for the extensive and excellent NHS Rehabilitation Services, the Norfolk Social Services and the social and craft activities at the Norwich Headway group who all helped in Mrs Hanger's rehabilitation.
Irwin Mitchell were instructed by Mrs Hanger after another law firm turned the case down. Irwin Mitchell, using our wealth of experience in international personal injury claims, worked closely with an Italian specialist lawyer to submit Mrs Hanger's claim against the scooter’s insurer.
With the assistance of an expert Italian lawyer, Irwin Mitchell submitted the claim to the Italian insurers and lengthy negotiations ensued. Liability was never formally admitted, with the Italian insurers alleging that blame should fall on our client for not using a pedestrian crossing. However, we persevered in seeking the compensation that Mrs Hanger deserved, and successfully settled the claim for €740,000 plus costs and CRU benefits, making the total award worth in excess of €800,000. This settlement equated to the maximum level of indemnity under the moped driver’s insurance policy, plus a contribution towards costs, which was an excellent result.
Mrs Hanger still requires daily assistance following her injuries. At the time of the accident, Mrs Hanger was taking an Open University degree course in Humanities which she had to suspend due to the accident. However, with hard work and determination, Mrs Hanger successfully concluded her course and graduated from the Open University in April 2011. To celebrate, she travelled back to Florence, Italy with her husband to conclude the holiday that was cut short over 10 years previously.
Irwin Mitchell, along with Mrs Hanger's friends and family, are immensely proud of the courage that Mrs Hanger has shown, and wish her well as she builds her future with her compensation.