Examples of recent injury awards

Below are some examples of cases we have dealt with and the awards that were awarded.

• Road Traffic Accidents, Motorbike and Cycle claims
£16,380
B from Hertford suffered injury when her bike wheel went into a pothole in the road and she fell from her bike. The most significant injuries were to her teeth and she had to undergo painful extensive dental work. The medical evidence we obtained showed that she was likely to require further dental treatment in the future. The Council initially accepted fault for the accident due to their failure to maintain the road. They then backtracked and tried to deny that they had caused the accident. We persevered with the Court proceedings and were successful in getting the Council to accept responsibility. B received £16,380 compensation, which included money for her to have the dental work she will require in the future.
£32,000
R was a 77-year-old man when he was knocked off his bicycle by a lorry driver. He sustained an injury to his back and other bruising as a result of the accident. The medical evidence confirms that there were degenerative changes in his back and that the accident had brought forward his back problems by about five years. He could now no longer get around without walking sticks and his mobility scooter. The defendants offered £3,750 for his injuries alone. Through negotiations we were able to secure a settlement for the claimant in the sum of £32,000.
£18,500
A from Newmarket was 16 years of age when she suffered a significant laceration to her face in a road traffic accident. A was a rear seat passenger in a friend’s vehicle. Her friend swerved to avoid a motorbike travelling towards them on the wrong side of the road and, in doing so, lost control of the vehicle and rolled down an embankment. A claim was brought against the MIB as the motorbike did not stop at the scene of the accident. A underwent two surgical procedures to reduce the scarring to her face and to have glass fragments removed. She obtained a settlement at age 18 years of just over £18,500.00.
£13,250
K from Ely was injured in a road accident when a car pulled out of a driveway and drove straight into her car. She was initially appointed solicitors by her insurance company, who didn’t meet with her and didn’t progress her claim. As a result of her concerns about the way in which her claim was being handled, she transferred instructions to Taylor Vinters. We obtained comprehensive medical evidence from a local expert, which recommended treatment for K. We obtained funding for the treatment and assisted in arranging it for her. The medical situation was complicated by the fact that K had other, non-related, medical conditions but we were successful in getting the right evidence to show the extent of the injuries caused by the accident. The claim settled for £13,250.
£5,000
V was driving onto the A14 and had just pulled onto the slow lane of the main carriageway from the slip road when a lorry moving from the fast lane into the slow lane collided with V’s vehicle. V initially instructed her motor insurer’s legal team to act for her but when liability was denied by the lorry’s insurance company on the basis that the accident was apparently V’s fault, the motor insurer’s legal team closed the file. V later decided to obtain a second opinion from Taylor Vinters who quickly established that there was no basis at all for the lorry driver’s denial of liability. As the third anniversary of the accident was approaching, medical evidence was quickly obtained and court proceedings were issued. Almost immediately upon receipt of the proceedings the solicitors acting for the lorry driver’s insurers made a good settlement offer which was accepted straight away. V suffered whiplash and psychological injuries as a result of the accident and received £5,000 compensation.        
£3,375
P, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, was driving home from work when the accident occurred. She was waiting at a red traffic light when, all of a sudden, another vehicle drove into the rear of her car at speed. Both an ambulance and the police attended the scene and P sustained whiplash injuries to her neck and back, which resulted in her being signed off work. P required an extended course of physiotherapy treatment to aid her recovery and 18 months after the accident occurred Taylor Vinters was able to secure P £3,375 in compensation. This sum included the cost of P’s private physiotherapy treatment.
£2,300
H, from Newmarket, was injured in a car accident when another driver crossed onto her side of the road and collided with her car. H suffered whiplash symptoms affecting her neck, shoulders and lower back. Taylor Vinters was able to arrange H the physiotherapy treatment she required to aid her recovery and subsequently settled her claim for £2,300 just over 8 months after the accident occurred.
£971,000
J was sexually abused by her step father and as a result of this, thrown out by her mother who blamed her for what had happened. Whilst living in a foster home, she sustained a serious brain injury in a road traffic accident. We were contacted by the hospital directly to help J. Our challenge was to establish what job J would have had in the absence of the abuse and/or the accident. We dealt firstly with the road traffic accident claim, obtaining £750,000 and then represented her at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s appeal hearing where we managed to persuade them to increase their offer from £10,000 to £221,000 for the abuse and to compensate her for her lost earning potential. Overall compensation of just under £1million.
£1.15m
C was 62 when the accident occurred. He had recently retired and relocated to a new area with his wife where they planned to spend their retirement together.  C was a keen cyclist and was out on one of his early morning rides when he was knocked off his bicycle by a car driver who failed to see him.  C suffered devastating injuries, including a severe brain injury, which sadly resulted in his death some four years after the accident occurred.  He spent all of his life following the accident being treated in specialist hospitals and care homes where his wife visited and cared for him tirelessly. 
C’s wife initially instructed a firm of local solicitors, but a number of issues arose with how the claim was being progressed and even resulted in her having to move out of the home she shared with C before the accident occurred.  C’s wife needed a solicitor who could take control of the compensation claim for her, whilst listening to and appreciating both her and C’s needs at such a traumatic time. She met with and subsequently transferred C’s claim to Taylor Vinters. We then obtained all further evidence which was needed to progress the claim with the view of making C as comfortable as possible whilst also supporting C’s wife, but unfortunately C’s condition later worsened and he sadly passed away. 
The focus of the claim then changed and we set about making sure that C’s wife received proper compensation for her husband’s accident and her claim under the Fatal Accidents Act. 
The claim was settled for £1.15m and C’s wife commented:
“This case involved my husband’s accident.  I came to you having had a bad experience with our first law firm.  I found everything about Taylor Vinters to be excellent.  Emma Truin, Joe Speed and all the team were amazingly good; I really cannot praise them enough.  I cannot tell you how good I think Emma is at her job and yet she never forgot that we were human beings in a very difficult position.  If it were up to me I would promote her and give her a big pay rise.  If I ever have need of a lawyer again, I will come to you.”
• Accidents at work claims
£300,000
S, who is from near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, suffered hand-arm vibration syndrome caused by use of vibrating tools in the course of his work in the construction industry. He was unable to return to his job and suffered serious financial difficulty as a result. Taylor Vinters obtained a number of interim payments for S during the course of his claim. The Defendant made low offers in an attempt to get rid of S. However, just before trial his claim settled for over £300,000.
£85,000
M developed a permanent chemical sensitisation as a result of being exposed to hazardous chemicals at work. M’s employers gave him two options: one to accept an alternative, lower-paid job within their business; or two, to accept a £16,000 pay-out and leave. M decided to take the lower-paid job. Taylor Vinters progressed M’s claim and quickly secured interim payments to ease M’s financial difficulties. Taylor Vinters secured a settlement of £85,000, shortly before trial, which is believed to be the highest settlement relating to a claim arising from this particular type of exposure.
£40,000
G was an HGV driver who slipped over on a wet floor whilst undertaking his employment and twisted his knee, which resulted in him rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, partially rupturing his medical collateral ligament and tearing his lateral meniscus. This was a severe knee injury, which left G in considerable pain and in need of future surgery. Liability was denied from the outset with the premises’ insurers alleging that G had not slipped at all. After an 18-month battle with the insurers, Taylor Vinters was able to secure G £40,000 in compensation.       
£43,000
W tripped over some strapping left on a floor in a factory where he worked. He fell and fractured his arm just below his left shoulder. He had ongoing problems and needed surgery. He was no longer able to do the same job due to difficulties lifting and was eventually made redundant. The Claimant has since been able to find less manual work. Through negotiations we were able to reach a settlement of £43,000.
£4,500
F had a history of back problems but had not suffered with symptoms for years. She started working for her new employer and found that she began to suffer with problems to her neck and back. She realised that her computer and her chair had not been adjusted correctly. Liability was admitted by her employer and we subsequently proved that her employer’s negligence had caused an exacerbation of her pre-existing problems over a period of months until her workstation was changed. The claimant’s claim settled for £4,500.
£25,000
D suffered significant injury to his back when he was asked at work to lift heavy items. This was coupled with an incident where a rack in a cellar moved towards D when he pulled out a box. D overbalanced and landed on his back, with the box on top of him. D developed a significant disc prolapse and suffered with lower back pain, he underwent osteopathic treatment, physiotherapy and an epidural injection.
This was a hard fought case where both liability and causation were denied, and considerable investigations were undertaken. Before going to trial, Taylor Vinters were able to obtain £25,000 in settlement of D’s claim.
£4,325
Mrs V worked as a carer and was injured when a faulty window slammed shut on her hand, causing a fractured finger.  Initially she wanted quick recompense just for her lost earnings for the time off she had after the accident.  We offered her employer’s insurers the chance to settle on that basis, sending them a copy of her record of attending A&E, but they refused, insisting on seeing a full medical report before paying anything at all.  As our client was put to the time and trouble of getting full formal evidence, her claim was changed to a full claim for compensation for her injuries, lost earnings and other expenses caused by the accident, and the insurers ended up paying significantly more than she had offered to accept at the outset of her claim.
£7,500
J suffered physical and psychological injuries in the course of his work as a delivery driver.  A large crate fell on top of J whilst it was being unloaded from his lorry with a forklift truck.  He was off work for several weeks as a result of his injuries and for some time he was unable to take part in activities that he enjoyed.  He pursued a claim against the employer of the forklift truck driver.  Liability was denied throughout on the basis that the crate had been blown over by a freak gust of wind.  However, the fault lay with the forklift truck driver’s employer as the crate had not been secured prior to unloading.  Taylor Vinters agreed a settlement of £7,500 for J just before trial.     
• Slips trips and falls in public places
£254,337
A, a lorry driver from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, sustained serious injuries to his ankle when he slipped on a muddy footpath located outside a construction site. A was in hospital for a week and on crutches for a total of 8 months. He had surgery and will need further surgery in the future. A’s case was widely reported because the Court found both the subcontractor and main contractor responsible. The subcontractor was mainly responsible due to a lack of an adequate system being in place to ensure that the area was kept clear of mud. The Court also found the main contractor responsible as it had a supervisory role but had failed to ensure that the sub-contractor implemented a system to keep the footway clear of mud. A’s claim was settled for £254,337.67.
£225,000
E slipped and fell on a wet floor in a shower room whilst he was a patient at a hospital in Norwich. E injured his spinal cord and suffered paralysis from the waist down. The Defendants argued that the floor was dry and clean and that it was not slippery and that E did not slip but instead fell as a result of a spinal bleed or heart attack. Taylor Vinters obtained evidence to suggest that neither a heart attack nor a spinal bleed caused the fall, that shower room floors were regularly found to be wet and excessively slippery and that the slip resistance of the flooring used had been reduced to an unreasonable level by inappropriate cleaning. E’s claim settled shortly before trial for a sum of £225,000.
£65,000
K was living an independent life before the accident. She tripped over a broken fire hydrant marker post that was lying on the pavement, but could not be seen because it was dark. She suffered numerous injuries, including a fractured neck. If K is to suffer a further jolt to her neck, even a minor one, she is likely to be paralysed. Liability was particularly difficult to resolve with four possible defendants identified. After lengthy investigations, Taylor Vinters managed to establish liability against the local fire service, which resulted in K receiving £65,000. This sum included the cost of the private treatment K now regularly requires, together with necessary help and assistance around her home.
£27,500
H sustained orthopaedic injuries to his right arm after his foot got caught on a recently laid speed bump constructed of tacky tar and he fell. The speed bump had been constructed on a holiday camp in Clacton, Essex, only hours earlier. The shoulder symptoms lasted approximately one year but he was left with an operative scar and a risk of future surgery. H’s claim against the holiday camp owners settled for £27,500.
£15,500
S, a postman, was in the process of delivering post, when he sustained soft tissue injuries to his right ankle and grazing to his left knee as a result of tripping over a deep pothole located on a commercial premises near Royston. S subsequently required surgery. S was left with permanent, occasional, mild pain in his ankle as a result of the accident. Taylor Vinters recovered £15,500 for S.
£11,000
C slipped on some ice coming out of her doctor’s surgery falling on her back and dislocating her left shoulder. It was a nasty fall and we eventually settled her claim in the sum of £11,000. The claimant was very happy because her cheque arrived just before Christmas.
£6,250
K from Ely sustained injury to her foot and ankle when she stumbled on a defective step in a shop. She received £6,250 in compensation, with the claim concluding in just a year.
£5,500
C from Hertfordshire suffered an injury when she was visiting a hotel. While walking into the hotel restaurant she slipped and fell on a wet patch on the floor: it is likely this was caused by a drink having been spilt by another guest. Initially the hotel denied liability for the accident, suggesting that Mrs C had in fact spilt her own drink while walking and slipped on that but eventually admitted liability. C suffered a fractured wrist in the fall from which she made a good recovery, although she was left with some minor permanent symptoms of reduced movement and strength in the wrist. Her claim settled for £5,500.
• Brain and Spinal Injury Claims
£1 million
G, a family man from Hertfordshire was aged 29 at the time of the accident. He was driving his employer’s vehicle home from work, when the Defendant, driving a lorry, performed an illegal u-turn in front of his oncoming vehicle. G’s work colleague was killed instantly. G himself sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and numerous fractures to his body. The impact upon his life was huge. He suffered from fatigue, headaches and poor mobility, was registered blind, lost the sense of smell and taste, lost confidence and the ability to control his temper and has motivational problems. He has been unable to work since the accident. Through the claims process, we were able to secure him a lump sum payment of over £1 million, together with yearly payments to cover his care needs.
£350,000
L from Suffolk suffered a serious brain injury when she was hit by a car which had mounted the pavement. As a result of her injuries she was unable to return to her job as a Company Director. During the course of L’s claim Taylor Vinters obtained interim payments to pay for a case manager who arranged appropriate treatment, rehabilitation and domestic help for L and her family. L’s claim settled after 3.5 years for £350,000.  
£971,000
J was sexually abused by her step father and as a result of this, thrown out by her mother who blamed her for what had happened. Whilst living in a foster home, she sustained a serious brain injury in a road traffic accident. We were contacted by the hospital directly to help J. Our challenge was to establish what job J would have had in the absence of the abuse and/or the accident. We dealt firstly with the road traffic accident claim, obtaining £750,000 and then represented her at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s appeal hearing where we managed to persuade them to increase their offer from £10,000 to £221,000 for the abuse and to compensate her for her lost earning potential. Overall compensation of just under £1million.
£1.9m
B was a rear seat passenger in a car involved in a very serious road traffic accident.  The driver drove far too fast and caused the vehicle to mount a roundabout, passing over the top of the raised centre, before coming to rest in a ditch. B unfortunately sustained serious life threatening injuries.
The main injury was a severe spinal injury and B is left paraplegic as a result of the accident. Taylor Vinters acted and obtained interim payments to pay for a case manager, who helped to arrange treatment, rehabilitation, professional carers and housing, which with B’s determination, has helped B lead an independent life.
B’s claim settled for £1.9 million gross, together with annual yearly payments for life to meet her life needs.
 
• Fatal accident claims
£450,000
S and her partner, R were living in Huntingdon when R was fatally injured. He was cycling home from work and was hit by car. She was forced to leave the home that they had shared together and moved back home with her mum and dad. The Defendant’s insurer initially refused S’s claim altogether. Court proceedings were commenced and after a period of approximately two years, an out of Court settlement was agreed in the sum of £450,000.
£175,000
A claim was pursued on behalf of the widow and children of B of Cambridgeshire who was killed when he was trying to remove debris from between the rear tyres of his truck and the tyres exploded. Liability was disputed at the outset although the parties were keen to have a pragmatic resolution to this distressing case. After some intensive investigations and negotiations the matter was eventually settled in the sum of £175,000.
We acted for the family of S who was sadly killed in a head on collision. S provided substantial childcare help to her family in caring for her young grandson. We obtained significant compensation for the family to assist them with the childcare costs they now face – including assistance for childcare costs for S’s grand-daughter who had not been conceived at the date of S’s death. It is thought that this is one of the only times that a claim on behalf of a child not conceived at the date of the accident has been successful. 
• Second opinions on cases already being dealt with by other solicitors
£175,000
H from London was using a service lift between the basement and ground floor of a hall when his right foot became trapped resulting in the subsequent amputation of several toes including his big toe. H had been a talented footballer and was on the cusp of a professional career. H underwent a significant period of recovery and rehabilitation from both a physical and psychological perspective. The accident had a considerable effect on his future career choice. The claim was initially handled by another set of solicitors who were recommending settlement at £40,000. We took over the claim and eventually settled the same in the sum of £175,000.
£50,000
H, from Cambridge, was a passenger in a car which was hit from behind in 2005. She suffered a serious back injury. She initially had solicitors appointed for her by the car driver’s insurers. The solicitors were based in Sheffield and would not meet with her or talk to her on the phone. Three years after the accident, H was still in pain, had not had the right treatment, was unable to do her job fully and had a very limited social life due to her injuries. The Defendants had offered her £3,500 and her then solicitors were pressurising her to accept. She transferred instructions to Taylor Vinters and we were able to get the right medical evidence to show the extent of her injuries and link the ongoing symptoms to the accident. We were then able to get funding for the treatment that was so clearly needed by H. The claim eventually settled for over £50,000 – so more than 15 times the amount that the previous solicitors had been telling H to accept.
£13,000
W was involved in an RTA which left her with significant post-traumatic stress disorder and soft tissue injuries.The defendant’s insurers made an offer of just £2,100 in respect of her injuries alone. The client was very unhappy with this in view of her ongoing problems. We took over the case from previous solicitors and instructed a further expert specialising with neck/back cases. The claimant’s case settled for the sum of £13,000.
£5,000
Taylor Vinters took over MH’s case after her previous solicitor had advised her that she was unlikely to win. MH (from Hitchin, Hertfordshire) had been injured when she lost her balance and fell as a result of a sudden drop in the level of the pavement. We were able to establish an admission of liability from a building contractor whom the previous solicitors had not even pursued! MH’s claim settled for £5,000 within two years of us getting involved.
• Military claims
£7,000
A was a sapper/engineer and had been working on the construction of a new office building on an MOD site. One of his colleagues dropped a mortar board, splashing wet concrete into his face and eyes. A received chemical burns and a scarred retina. Liability was eventually conceded and we recovered compensation on his behalf totalling £7,000.
• Criminal injuries claims
£368,000
Our client from Norfolk suffered widespread soft tissue injuries, a fractured skull, a subdural haematoma (a collection of blood between the skull and the brain) and a moderate to severe brain injury when he was assaulted. As a result of his injuries, his performance at work was affected, he was demoted and he eventually had to move to a different employer on a lower salary. Taylor Vinters represented him in making an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Despite the authority’s initial offers of only £47,500 and £77,770 Taylor Vinters secured an award of just under £368,000.
• Animal and Equine claims
£12,000
P sustained lacerations to her right arm when she was bitten by the Defendant’s dog. P was left with permanent scarring, reduced sensation in her right arm and she suffered from psychological symptoms as a result of the attack. Taylor Vinters secured a settlement of £12,000 for P.
£3,575
M was hand-delivering leaflets for a charity event in her local area when she was bitten by a dog at one of the houses she was approaching. She suffered an injury to her hand, which then impacted on her ability to undertake her employment as a cake maker. She contacted Taylor Vinters who first had to try and elicit details of an insurer who would be able to deal with the claim and we were eventually put in touch with the pet insurers. We were then able to monitor M’s recovery and recovered the sum of £3,575 on her behalf.
£45,000
P, from Ware in Hertfordshire, sustained a serious foot and ankle injury when she was kicked by a horse on a trekking holiday at a riding centre. The riding centre’s insurers denied fault for the accident very strongly and the case was hard-fought. We persevered and started a formal Court case against the riding centre. By obtaining expert and other evidence to strengthen the claim, we were able to eventually secure an admission of fault by the riding centre and to then negotiate a settlement of £45,000 for P.
£35,000
D, from Norfolk, sustained injuries to her back when she was bucked off of a horse during a trek, whilst on holiday in Cornwall.  We pursued a claim against the riding centre and a settlement of £35,000 was negotiated and the claim was concluded within 6 months of the accident occurring.