Ellisons Solicitors represented a claimant who was left with multiple serious injuries following a road traffic accident in Suffolk, helping them to recover £750,000 in compensation.

The claimant was cycling to work and was injured when a car collided into our client when turning at a junction. The driver had not noticed and given way to our client and, as a result of the collision, the claimant was thrown into the air and over the car, landing head-first in the road.

The cyclist suffered multiple injuries including a head laceration and traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage. This was classified by the neurologists as a moderate-to-severe brain injury.  As a result, the cyclist suffered with a range of debilitating symptoms including severe headaches, visual disturbance, dizziness and vertigo, extreme fatigue and she struggled with decision-making, short term memory recall, concentration and learning.

During the five-year case, Ellisons’ Injury Services team were able to secure significant interim payments which helped them cope with the financial difficulties caused by their inability to return to work. In turn, this allowed them to fully commit to the extreme level of rehabilitative treatment required to maximise their recovery by as much as possible.

Ellisons ensured that the driver’s insurance company funded a programme of private rehabilitative treatment from a range of therapists, a support worker and a childcare assistant.

As a result of our client’s dedication to the rehabilitative programme that was put in place, they managed to achieve a good level of recovery. Nevertheless, they will be left with significant ongoing symptoms which continue to impact on their ability to perform everyday activities such as driving, looking at screens, going out independently, parenting and working.

Stevan Stratton, Head of Ellisons’ Injury Services team said: “The claimant has suffered life-changing injuries as a result of a driver failing to notice an oncoming cyclist at a junction. They have been through an extremely difficult and stressful ordeal. The claimant had to go through a complicated legal process to recover compensation at a time when they and their family are already struggling with the trauma and impact of the accident and the severe injuries suffered. Therefore, it was crucial that the client had legal representation to ensure that all the necessary medical expert evidence was obtained. Expert evidence was required from seven different medical specialists, a care consultant and an accident reconstruction consultant before an accurate assessment of damages could be made. Numerous witnesses to the accident and from the claimant’s workplace and family also had to be consulted. At the same time, we needed to ensure that that the much-needed programme of rehabilitative treatment was funded and arranged whilst representing the client in the pre-court and litigation processes”.

“The claimant had studied and worked very hard in her career and they had been performing a skilled job in the years prior to the accident. The injuries suffered had prevented the claimant from returning to work and there is uncertainty as to whether they will ever be able to return to earning a similar salary ever again. However, everyone involved in the claimant’s treatment was hugely impressed by their commitment and it is hoped that the level of improvement achieved by them over the last 18 months bodes well for the future.”

No settlement could be agreed at a Joint Settlement Meeting but, following further discussions the next year, a settlement was finally agreed at £750,000. This was over double the first offer made by the Defendant solicitors many months earlier.

As the Defendant contested this claim on numerous grounds in denying the Claimant’s account of events, accusing her of being partly at fault and challenging the severity and impact of her injuries, we can be almost certain that this is an outcome the claimant would not have achieved without early expert legal advice.

The Ellisons’ Injury Services team is available to guide you through the process of reviewing your claim, securing private medical treatment and rehabilitation wherever needed and to recover the compensation you are entitled to.