Our client fell from her horse while riding when her horse was spooked by someone moving equipment outside of the arena.
In the fall our client sustained ligament and nerve damage as well as three fractures to her spine. She had to undergo a bone graft and was required to have metalwork inserted to stabilise the fractures. Although her mobility was unaffected in the incident, she has been told that the ongoing pain she experiences will be permanent and has been forced to take pain killers every day.
Following the fall, the lady contacted solicitors at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office. Cathryn Godfrey, a serious injury expert in the equine team, spoke of the ways in which compensation has helped our client to deal with her ongoing symptoms: “everyone involved with horses appreciates that it is a risk sport and accidents happen. However, in circumstances where injuries are sustained as a consequence of someone else's actions, which means that the injuries are not sustained as a direct risk associated with the sport, the individual is entitled to pursue a claim.
"As a consequence of the successful claim, my client has been able to obtain funds for treatment to assist with controlling the daily level of pain that she experiences, which was unlikely to have been available on the NHS in the longer term. My client is already benefiting from the additional treatment and it is assisting in controlling the levels of pain that she experiences which improves her quality of life".