Beth* sustained life-changing injuries including a minor head injury, multiple fractures requiring surgery and psychological injuries when she was a passenger in a car that crashed after the driver lost control. The driver didn’t have insurance and only had a provisional licence, so we claimed over £1.9m in compensation through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) – an independent body set up to pay compensation where there’s no other route to make a claim and is funded from insurance premiums.
The challenges faced by Beth
Before the collision, Beth was extremely independent. Her injuries meant she lost a lot of her independence and couldn’t get out and about as easily.
- Beth experienced anxiety, flashbacks and bad dream. Beth also has mobility issues due to her lower limb fractures and mobilised with a walking stick and sometimes a mobility scooter.
- The MIB fought the case, saying the Beth knew the driving didn’t have insurance and they also claimed that she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
How we helped with these challenges
Working together with the MIB, we gathered evidence to show that Beth didn’t know the driver of the car didn’t have insurance and proved that she was wearing a seatbelt when the collision happened. As a result, the MIB dropped these issues and agreed to pay for extensive support for Beth while her case was ongoing.
- We got funding from the MIB to pay for specialist input including a case manager, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and skin camouflage experts.
- Proving that Beth was wearing a seatbelt meant that the MIB didn’t argue that there was any contributory negligence (this where a portion of the blame is put onto the person making a claim, reducing the amount of compensation they receive).
The results and outcome
We settled the claim for over £1.9m, allowing Beth to move forward with her life knowing all her future needs are taken care of.
- The settlement has allowed Beth to buy a new home that is better for her needs and helps her to be more independent.
- We’ve continued to help Beth after settlement with setting up a Personal Injury Trust to make sure her means-tested benefits aren’t affected.
*not her real name
