Marie* suffered a significant crushing injury to her hand in an accident at work.
Severely distressed, she was taken to the local trauma centre, where she had surgery before being sent home.
Marie’s initial challenges
Unfortunately, Marie struggled with severe pain and restricted movement in the hand, and doctors confirmed that she needed further surgery. She was provided with some physiotherapy however was initially unable to return to work.
How we supported Marie
We contacted the insurers who agreed to fund a case manager to prepare an initial needs assessment, and to fund their proposals. The case manager recommended domestic help, cognitive behavioural therapy, pain management, and some aids.
The case manager’s involvement is key in obtaining early rehabilitation support, beyond what the NHS can provide; we managed to arrange this, even though the insurers indicated that they had reservations on liability.
Outcome
Marie was keen to resolve the claim and the insurers were prepared to consider settlement offers, without formally accepting liability. In negotiations we secured a settlement of £450,000, accounting for the litigation risks.
We also advised Marie on setting up a trust, to protect any current or future entitlement to means tested benefits.
This settlement compensated for the lost earnings among other losses, but importantly also allowed Marie to fund the future support needs identified by the case manager.
*Not their real name
