Our client, Reece*, was injured during a rugby warm up game at school. He suffered injuries that needed several operations. We were able to get Reece a five-figure compensation settlement to help with his recovery.
What Happened To Reece?
Reece, 13, was taking part in a rugby warm up game at school. The game was an adapted version of “steal the sock”. This wasn’t an approved warm-up game because of how dangerous it is.
A student tackled Reece. Another student fell on Reece's outstretched leg whilst trying to remove his sock. This left him with a fractured femur and fractured fibula.
His parents took him to East Sussex Hospital, where medical experts decided to put a cast on his leg. Five months after the accident, he had surgery for the deformed femur. Reece had an operation 18 months after the accident, to try to reduce his leg length discrepancy.
How Has This Affected Reece’s Life?
Reece’s injuries meant he had to have time off school to attend hospital appointments and have his surgery.
After his operations, Reece relied on his parents. They had to help him with moving around the house and going out to see friends.
Reece still experiences pain from the injury. His walk has now altered because of his leg length discrepancy. It’s also affected his ability to play rugby, he struggles to play at the same level he did before.
Despite having surgery to reduce his leg length discrepancy, Reece needs to have more operations to sort the issue.
How We Helped Reece Get Compensation
Reece came to us to claim compensation for the injuries caused at school. He claimed the students weren’t given proper instructions, the game wasn’t properly supervised, and it was dangerous.
Serious injury solicitor, Katie Lowe, managed Reece's claim. Katie took Reece’s claim to the school. The school disputed Reece’s version of events and argued the activity was safe and well supervised.
Once Katie had gathered witness statements, she presented them to the school’s legal representative. After seeing the witness statements, the school decided to offer a settlement.
The five-figure compensation Reece received has helped his parents recuperate money spent already and pay for services to help with his recovery.
“Reece’s injuries were avoidable, but unfortunately, due to poor instructions and lack of supervision, Reece suffered serious injuries. Luckily for Reece, it didn’t affect his education massively. However, he now can’t play rugby like he did before and will need more operations in the future.
“The compensation will help Reece’s family cover costs and help with his recovery. Hopefully they can now move on from the incident and look forward to the future.” — Katie Lowe, Serious Injury Solicitor.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact us today to see if you can claim compensation. Call us on 0808 271 6186 or contact us online.
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