We helped Sarah* to claim compensation after the car she was travelling in was hit by another car whilst stationery on the motorway. Sarah sustained injuries to both her legs which she needed surgery for, as well as injuries to her stomach and a subtle brain injury.
The challenges faced by Sarah
Due to her injuries, Sarah has significant mobility issues and had to live downstairs as she wasn’t able to use the stairs.
- Sarah had to rely on crutches to get around for over six months.
- She has developed anxiety and depression, as her dad had also died in the crash.
- Initially, the insurers for the person responsible for the crash would not release any interim funds (payments you can receive ahead of a case settling to pay for immediate support and rehabilitation).
- At the time of the collision, Sarah was working, but she was unable to return to her previous job due to her ongoing physical and cognitive difficulties.
How we helped with these challenges
Because the insurers wouldn’t release any money at first, we got our rehabilitation and support coordinators involved, who pushed for NHS treatment for Sarah to improve her recovery.
- We also used our emergency fund to pay for specialist private physiotherapy and a report so that she could have bespoke insoles because her legs were different lengths because of her injuries.
- After negotiating with the defendant insurers, we managed to secure funding to pay for a vocational rehabilitation advisor to look at what job opportunities were available to Sarah.
The results and outcome
Despite the defendant insurers saying they weren’t to blame for the collision, we continue to negotiate with them to achieve the settlement for Sarah.
- This settlement has meant that Sarah can look to the future and gives her some financial security while she decides what career to pursue.
*not her real name
