Our serious injury solicitors helped an aspiring teacher secure a six-figure compensation sum. Our client, was left with little freedom following a collision with a careless speeding driver.
In December 2016, Sarah* had been teaching piano to one of her students in London. As many of her clients were local, she’d often walk or cycle to lessons and Sarah knew this particular route well.
After her lesson, Sarah set off walking home and got to a zebra crossing on a busy road. After checking the road and letting a car pass through, Sarah then walked out on to the crossing. She was aware of a car approaching her, but it was around 25 meters away and seemed to be slowing down.
Half way to the central traffic island, Sarah saw the car again and made eye contact with the driver as he came towards her. The car hit her at speed and her legs buckled beneath her.
After the collision, Sarah’s vision had a pink tinge and she’d briefly lost consciousness. She then became overwhelmed by the chaos that followed the collision. Sarah was in a state of shock and lots of pain.
Luckily, a surgeon passed by the incident as it happened and was able to help Sarah immediately. They spotted emergency contact details in Sarah’s bag and contacted her mother. Not long after, an ambulance arrived and paramedics put her on a stretcher.
Once she arrived at the local hospital, doctors diagnosed Sarah with a head injury, facial injuries including a broken nose and cut lip. She also had torn ligaments in her right ankle and soft tissue damage to her right arm, hip, knee and foot.
As time went on Sarah began to realise the severity of her injuries and the length of time needed for her recovery. Sarah had very limited mobility and family members would often assist Sarah in washing and going to the bathroom while she was in hospital.
Once discharged from hospital Sarah, moved home with her mum and siblings. But, this meant living in a third floor flat. Sarah, often struggled with the stairs and found stairs aggravated the pain in the right side of her body.
She became very limited in the activities she could do due to the lack of mobility and pain she was in. She became very reliant on her family who would do almost everything for her. This included small tasks such as: fetching, carrying and bringing her food and drink. Sarah also found it very difficult to dress and wash independently.
Helping Sarah get back on track
Sarah’s mental and physical wellbeing was in very poor state. She was experiencing constant headaches and memory loss after the collision and was becoming increasingly isolated due to her lack of mobility. The only time Sarah would leave the flat was for medical reasons and this was always challenging.
Sarah, contacted our serious injury team to see if we were able to help her in gaining compensation to help her recovery and loss of earnings. Serious Injury Solicitor, Jack Sales began working with Sarah to understand the impact of the collision on her life.
He then began liability investigations which included visiting the pub that’s located where the collision happened. The pub provided Jack with the CCTV of the incident and allowed him to collect independent witness statements from staff who witnessed the crash. Jack, continued to collect further independent witness statements and obtained various medical evidence and opinions of Sarah’s injuries.
This was crucial as Sarah, had been left disappointed with the police’s initial investigations. As, the police’s investigations didn’t refer to the pub’s CCTV neither did it describe Sarah’s injuries as serious.
With the supporting witness statements and medical evidence Jack issued a letter of claim. The driver and his insurers denied liability until late March in 2018. However, in February 2019 we were able to help secure Sarah an initial payment. But, this was only a small amount and wasn’t sufficient for her rehabilitation.
This led to an application for a further interim payment. Sarah’s case was then settled shortly before an upcoming hearing. This meant Sarah finally had the closure she’d wanted for so long. The increased compensation allowed Sarah to make up for lost earnings and pay for further rehabilitation.
Sarah now has been able to make good progress in her recovery and is regaining much of her mobility. The incident has also led to Sarah changing careers and she is now pursuing a career in law.
Jack added, “Sarah’s road to recovery has been a long one and she’s often been frustrated at her lack of answers following the accident. Being able to help Sarah find answers has been vital in helping her move forward.”
If you or a loved one has suffered from a serious injury, then we may be able to help. Contact us online or, call 0370 1500 100.
*Not actual names used
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