Mark Bowman secures £820,000 for severe leg injury after freak road traffic accident
On 29 May 2008 Adam was walking to his local supermarket. He was passing a 10ft concrete wall which adjoined his property, when a lorry exiting the property clipped the wall bringing it down on top of him.
The paramedics arrived and cared for Adam before he was taken by ambulance to St George's Hospital, Tooting, where the trauma team assessed him as having 'one of the worst leg injuries' they had seen. The following morning Adam underwent, what turned out to be the first of 7 operations on his leg. He was then transferred to Wimbledon Parkside Hospital where he remained for around 3 weeks.
Adam faced a long and arduous struggle with pain management and an intensive physiotherapy regime over the following months. He required the use of an Ilizarov frame for 9 months and moved back in with his parents so they could assist with his care and mobility, as he required round the clock attention. He was also suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting in nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and depression.
Adam commenced his Pupillage with a renowned civil set of barristers in July 2008 despite the Ilizarov frame still remaining in place. Despite his best efforts, a decision was taken to postpone the second half of his Pupillage until he had made a further recovery. Due to the severity of his injuries he did not return to work until November 2010.
Adam has been left with permanent nerve damage, and a 'drop foot'. His right leg is shorter than the left meaning that he will require special orthotic footwear for life. Adam will also require a number of knee replacement operations in the future.
Owing to the severity of the injury, and the potential value of the claim, Adam contacted Mark Bowman, Road Traffic Accident and Personal Injury specialist, to pursue a claim on his behalf. Liability was admitted early on and Mark's main task was to quantify Adam's claim, and in particular the amount of future loss of earnings, as he was not taken on by chambers following his Pupillage.
Initial offers from the Defendants of £25,000 and £40,000 were immediately rejected and sizeable interim payments were obtained to help Adam fund his ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Mark obtained 6 specialist reports and witness evidence from colleagues, barristers, family members and art dealers. After all the investigations and negotiations had been completed Mark successfully negotiated a settlement of £820,000 which Adam hopes will go someway to helping him get his life back to normal and provide much needed security.
At the end of the case Adam commented;
"I found Mark Bowman to have been, at all times, a consummate professional, extremely friendly and approachable and very supportive during some extremely difficult years of my life. I never had cause to complain about FFW's high quality legal service and was impressed with their recommendations for counsel. Mark worked very hard in juggling the various demands of what became a very complex, multi-issue case, and was always on top of the work load and the timetabling we faced. In a case like this one, when your life has been turned upside down, it's hard to ever feel wholly satisfied with the result. Having said this, I was pleased with the figure we achieved against a complex factual background and an uncertain future, and grateful for all the help FFW contributed in securing the result."
Contact us
For further information about road traffic accident claims and personal injury claims, please call Mark Bowman on 03304606794 or email mark.bowman@fieldfisher.com.
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