£5m settlement for 18-year-old amputee plus claims for parents
We were approached to take over Sarah's case from another firm of solicitors following a horrific incident in 2020 because the nuances of her rehabilitation and prosthetic needs were not being fully appreciated and a bespoke approach was needed to ensure a final settlement would comfortably support Sarah for life.
Sarah was just 14 at the time of the incident. She was starting her paper round and her mother had dropped her off at a local shop to collect the papers. Sarah's mother was parked outside the shop when Sarah was returning with the bag of papers to start the shift. Suddenly, a vehicle lost control and collided into the back of the mother's vehicle which then mounted the pavement and hit Sarah.
Sarah's right foot was completely crushed and her mother witnessed the horrific scenes having also been injured herself by the impact. The emergency services were called and Sarah's father rushed to the scene to help.
Our client was initially taken to a local hospital. However, due to the severity of her injuries she had to be transferred to the trauma centre at Imperial College Hospital where she underwent a transtibial amputation.
When we took over the case, we were able to swiftly obtain interim payments so that a bespoke set of prosthesis could be purchased to help Sarah return to the activities she enjoyed before the incident such as skiing, ice skating, cycling and running. Alongside, a full rehabilitation package was instigated including a case manager, physiotherapist, psychologist and occupational therapist who helped Sarah at home and at school.
Following intensive negotiations, we reached a £5million settlement for Sarah. We also successfully represented the parents in both their primary and secondary victim claims due to the physical and psychiatric injuries they suffered after witnessing this horrific incident.
Following settlement, Sarah's parents said:
'We have been very impressed by the professional, yet empathic approach taken by Fieldfisher.
'They moved swiftly from instruction to set up a range of initial meetings with specialist consultants to enable the claim to progress promptly and with the greatest chance of success. Their proactive approach and strong teamwork enabled them to provide a well communicated service.
'We were provided with key information and afforded the necessary time to make important decisions enabling the best outcome to be achieved.'
Contact us
For further information about road traffic accident claims and personal injury claims, please call Jennifer Buchanan on 03304606774 or email jennifer.buchanan@fieldfisher.com or call Adam Curry on 0330 460 6367 or email adam.curry@fieldfisher.com.
Alternatively
- You can speak to our personal injury solicitors on freephone 0800 358 3848
- email us: personalinjury@fieldfisher.com
- Complete the short online enquiry form
All enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you including no win, no fee.