Specialist Comments After Approval Hearing

A WOMAN who was left without speech or memory after she was hit by a car was last week awarded vital compensation which will help her to rebuild her life.

Margaret Howard, from Rochford, was walking across the Market Square car park on 4 February 2005 when a she was hit by a reversing Range Rover.

The 69-year-old suffered a severe head injury and was rushed to Southend Hospital, where her condition was stabilised. She was then transferred to Oldchurch Hospital for surgery. Here, doctors had to cut out a piece of her skull in order to remove a blood clot on the brain. She endured a further three gruelling operations over three years.

Last Thursday (October 6), at an approval hearing at The Royal Courts of Justice in Westminster, Margaret who will now require 24-hour care, support and specialist equipment for the rest of her life was told she had been awarded a seven figure sum, with additional yearly payments.

Lauren Hurney, a brain injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said: “Before the accident Margaret was very sociable in her community. She had lots of friends and spent much of her time visiting them.

“The accident meant she lost all of that. She has suffers from impaired memory recall, which means she has difficulty remembering much of her life before the accident. Her vocabulary is limited, so she has to express herself using only a few words

While the legal case was ongoing, solicitors at Irwin Mitchell were able to secure a payment large enough to allow Margaret to buy her own specially adapted accommodation.

Ms Hurney said: “We are very pleased to have been able to help Margaret access the funds she needs to be able to continue living her life to the full in spite of her injuries. She can now be looked after in her own home, for the rest of her life. Without a care package, it is likely that Margaret would have been cared for in a care home.  Thanks to the rehabilitation team, she has been able to get back parts of the life she had before the accident.”