Fatima was 37 years old and the joint owner of an IT infrastructure business when she was involved in a road traffic accident. Her car was shunted off the road and into the verge at speed, deploying the airbags. As a result, she developed pain in her wrist and knees, tinnitus and PTSD. Her wrist injury swiftly developed into CRPS.
Her first solicitor had never heard of CRPS and simply arranged for Fatima to receive six sessions of physiotherapy.
Initially, she instructed solicitors through her car insurance. They submitted her claim to the other side, suggesting it was worth no more than £10,000, and instructed a GP to examine her to prepare a medical report. When Fatima was diagnosed with CRPS by her treating specialist, her solicitor told her that he had never heard of it. Rather than investigating specialist treatment, he simply arranged for her to receive six sessions of physiotherapy. Understandably, Fatima quickly lost confidence in him and instructed BLB.
We obtained a series of interim payments, which allowed her to undergo specialist treatment. Although her CRPS improved, her wrist remained painful on doing anything which required her to grip. Consequently, she was unable to return to playing tennis, drive for more than thirty minutes, brush or dry her hair, cook or bake.
Although her CRPS improved, her wrist remained painful on doing anything which required her to grip.
Fatima’s PTSD improved with a course of EMDR treatment which we arranged for her.
We obtained medical evidence from an orthopaedic wrist surgeon, a pain consultant, a psychiatrist and an ENT surgeon.
The pain consultant confirmed that Fatima’s CRPS had resolved except for ongoing neuropathic-type pain. The psychiatrist commented that an element of her continuing pain and tinnitus was somatic. The tinnitus was expected to be permanent but would be improved with bilateral hearing aids.
She could no longer manage her role dealing with hardware, cabling and servers, and struggled in conference calls as a result of her tinnitus.
Fatima was the joint owner of an IT infrastructure business with her husband. Following the accident, her wrist pain meant she could no longer manage her role dealing with hardware, cabling and servers, and struggled in conference calls as a result of her tinnitus. The business continued for some time with her husband undertaking both roles, but it became too much for one person and eventually, they ceased trading. Medical evidence suggested that Fatima could work part-time in office-based employment. We obtained evidence from a forensic accountant to consider her losses as joint director of the IT business.
The prognosis was that some improvement was possible with treatment post-litigation, but she would have ongoing wrist pain, tinnitus, and periods of low mood.
The other side made increasingly higher offers of settlement.
The other side’s experts disagreed with the diagnosis of CRPS and suggested that any wrist symptoms beyond a few months were somatic. Their prognosis was that, with treatment, Fatima would be free from pain and fully functional within six months of the claim settling. She would then be able to return to work in the same capacity as before the accident.
The other side had made increasingly higher offers of settlement of £10,000, £15,000, £20,000, £40,000 and £75,000, which were all rejected. Fatima’s claim settled for £350,000 shortly before the pre-trial review.
“As much as I appreciate your legal skills and guidance, I am even more grateful for your kindness in difficult moments and your fortitude in times when I was at my weakest.”
After her claim settled, Fatima wrote to us:
“Thank you for all your hard work and for your compassion and care. You probably hear this all the time from your clients but the trust which you have earned during this journey gives you a special place in our life’s story and in our hearts. As much as I appreciate your legal skills and guidance, I am even more grateful for your kindness in difficult moments and your fortitude in times when I was at my weakest.”