A West Midlands law firm has helped secure damages of more than £1 million for a Stockport woman who suffered serious injuries in a road traffic accident after a six-year legal battle.
Higgs & Sons, based at Brierley Hill, represented the lady who sustained complex fractures of her hip and ankle – as well as multiple rib fractures – in the accident in 2014 and has since suffered significant mobility issues and been forced to use crutches.
A settlement meeting held on Wednesday saw a compensation package of £1,080,000 agreed.
Andy Shaw, Head of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence at Higgs & Sons and who represented the victim along with his colleague Laura Hopkins, said: “This was a particularly complex case spanning many years.
“Our job as a legal team was not only to secure the best possible settlement for our client but also to help her rebuild her life.
“We worked creatively to help facilitate extensive rehabilitation and were able to negotiate a significant financial compensation package that will provide our client with the much-needed financial security she deserves.”
The defendant had previously been ordered by court to make an interim payment of £120,000 to the victim to allow her to move into a rented bungalow while her long-term condition was assessed.
Andy added: “The situation was complicated as the client’s lack of mobility meant that she gained weight and was deemed too high risk to proceed with a total hip replacement procedure.
“Conventional methods of losing weight were explored but we sought advice from a bariatric surgeon and, as a result, the client underwent a gastric sleeve procedure which meant she lost nearly six stone and is now awaiting the hip replacement operation which should improve her symptoms significantly.
“It has been an incredibly difficult situation because our client was facing the impossible task of trying to lose weight to allow her to proceed with the hip procedure but not able to exercise due to her severe mobility issues.
“As lawyers, we needed to think creatively and I was pleased that we were able to help in arranging to secure the funding to allow her to have a gastric sleeve procedure that has resulted in significant weight loss.
“She will now be able to move forward and have a new hip, hopefully dispense with her crutches and have additional financial security. It’s been a long journey for all concerned but we are pleased to have secured an outcome which gives our client the best possible chance to move forward and rebuild her life.”
