Mr H owned and was the managing director of a successful company with a multi million pound turnover. In late 2000 he was involved in a rear end shunt on a motorway, which left him with a whiplash type injury. He thought that the symptoms would disappear, but as with a significant number of cases, the symptoms did not clear up and became chronic.
Constant pain
“I was in continuous pain.” said Mr H “I tried everything to ease the symptoms, including having botox injections into the neck muscle, but I simply could not shake it off and as a result I started to suffer from depression. The difficulty is that whiplash symptoms are often not really taken seriously. There isn’t a broken limb or a scar or other physical sign of the injury, and so there is some disbelief when you say that the pain is continuous and ever present.”
The result of the ongoing pain was that Mr H was not able to concentrate on the business that he had devoted many years of his life building up, and so the business went into decline, eventually going into administration.
Panel solicitors' failings
Mr H had car insurance so initiated a claim. As is common practice, his legal expense insurers referred him to a firm of solicitors who were one of a limited number on a "panel" used by the insurers. However, Mr H was not happy with the firm and the advice given, as he felt that the ongoing problems with his pain and injury were not fully appreciated. The initial value put on the claim was no more than for a straightforward whiplash claim.
Specialist firm succeeds
As a result he decided to come to specialists and chose Leigh Day & Co on the recommendation of fellow professionals.
“I am very pleased that I came to Leigh Day & Co. I was concerned that the size of the claim was perhaps overwhelming for the panel solicitors, and that they were not confident of putting forward a claim for seven figures arising from what seemed to be a simple whiplash injury. Leigh Day & Co were able to see past the figures to the issues involved in the case, and took the injuries and consequences appropriately seriously.”
Leigh Day, who took the case to a doors of court settlement for Mr H said: “The settlement is a good one, and while a significant six figure sum is unusual for a whiplash injury, it shows that what is commonly and wrongly thought of as a minor injury is one which can have disastrous consequences on a person and their abilities.”
For further information please contact
Bill Mayne on 020 7650 1200.
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