Irwin Mitchell has secured a significant settlement for an 18-year-old man from Romford who was left seriously injured after being involved in a road traffic crash.
Our client was walking along the pavement when a car veered from the road and crashed into him.
The driver of the car was later convicted of dangerous driving and driving whilst unfit through drink and drugs. Liability for the accident was admitted.
Our client sustained various injuries, including a serious traumatic brain injury. He also suffered a spinal injury - namely a fractured vertebrae at the top of his cervical spine.
The injuries left him with significant cognitive, executive, functional memory and personality deficits. He also has severe physical problems, including a reduction of power on both sides of his body, but particularly the right. All four limbs are considerably weaker than they were and our client now walks with a slow gait. He has also suffered from seizures.
Despite his injuries, our client has made a very good recovery. However, he is unable to undertake any manual work and will probably never undertake any paid employment. He needs help with his daily activities but can be left alone for a few hours and has taken on voluntary work at a local store selling vintage comics.
We helped him to claim £4.4 million in compensation. His legal team also assisted with the rehabilitation process. Our client was in hospital for several weeks and then spent ten months in a rehabilitation unit. We liaised with the rehabilitation unit and appointed a case manager.
As a result of this, our client had support from a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist. He also had a tutor as he was at college at the time of the accident. Our client resumed his studies, albeit to a limited extent, and managed to pass an exam.
He also had an enabler that meant he could get out and about. He now goes to the gym and has resumed some social activities with his friends.
Without interim payments, a case manager, good liaison with the NHS and expert rehabilitation it seems unlikely that our client would have made such a good recovery.
Colin Ettinger, a brain injury expert at Irwin Mitchell, said: “This is a good example of how the personal injury process can be used to maximise an individual’s recovery where that individual has been very severely injured.”
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a road traffic accident, our serious injury claims team could help you secure compensation. See our Road Traffic Accident Claims page for more information.
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