Our client was a 22 year old woman. She was involved in a particularly frightening accident on the M1 motorway.
She was driving along the slip road intending to join the M1 northbound, with her young son in the car. There were 3 lorries in the inside lane. The middle of the three lorries pulled across into the centre lane, seemingly to let our client filter in, which she did.
Suddenly, without warning the lorry alongside our client pulled back into the space which she now occupied. She was pushed off the carriageway and into the crash barrier. She rebounded back off the barrier and into the lorry for a second time before coming to a stop on the hard shoulder.
As a result of the impact the driver’s door was crushed onto our client’s leg. She had to free her leg and climb out through the passenger window, dragging her son out kicking and screaming. Our client had been showered with glass and was bleeding.
Our client and her son both managed to scramble up the bank to wait for the emergency services. To add to her distress, the lorry driver ran into the motorway in front of fast moving traffic, attempting to remove debris.
Our client and her son were taken by ambulance to hospital. She was treated for extensive abrasions and bruising to her legs, thighs, knees, right arm and forehead. Fragments of glass were removed from her scalp, causing some hair to fall out. She had a bald patch until her hair re-grew 6 months later. She also had a whiplash injury to her neck.
Her psychological injury was severe. She had flashbacks and thoughts of death concerning herself and her son. The claimant developed obsessive compulsive symptoms and a driving phobia.
We sent a detailed letter of claim to the lorry driver’s insurers. They admitted liability for the accident. We also obtained from them funding for extensive cognitive behavioural therapy for our client. As a result of this our client made a good recovery. We acted for her on a No Win No Fee basis. We negotiated settlement of her claim for over £13,500 as well as payment of our costs by the insurers.
If you have had an accident on the road and sustained injuries, contact us to see whether you may have a claim.
