Thursday, April 04, 2013

Accident at work leaves Highland man with severe neck injuries

Digby Brown’s client was injured in an accident at work.  The heavy industrial vehicle he was driving overturned while attempting to clear a forest path in severe weather in the north of Scotland.  He was left with severe neck injuries.

The individuals’ injuries were not initially diagnosed. By the time they were, he faced an operation which carried the risk of long term impairment if unsuccessful. The operation was a success but our client was not able to return to work, causing him significant stress and financial worry. 

Using our comprehensive legal expense and insurance package, we were able to ensure our client got the medical treatment and expert opinions needed to prove his case and, after rejecting two initial offers that under-valued his claim, we secured £30,000 in compensation, giving him financial peace of mind.

Monday, February 04, 2013

Legal funding helps client achieve 3-fold increase in compensation

Mr M was a self-employed sheep shearer.  While working on a farm, he was asked by the owner of the farm to enter an area between two pens which was secured by a gate which could be opened and closed by pulling a rope.  The rope had a hook on it to secure it in place when not being used. Unfortunately, as Mr M went to pull the rope, the hook sprung loose and struck him in the eye.

Mr M now suffers from permanent eye damage and is at high risk of developing secondary glaucoma.

Mr M asked Digby Brown to investigate and pursue a claim against the farm to compensate him for his injuries. Following the advice of Digby Brown, Mr M rejected pre-litigation offers of £3,000 and £4,500 and proceeded to litigation. Immediately after court proceedings were raised, the farm's insurers made an offer of £12,000 - 300% more than their initial offer. Without the backing of legal expense insurance to protect Mr M in the event he failed to beat the previous offers, he would not have been able to proceed to litigation and instead been forced to accept one of the unfairly low offers the farms' insurers orginally put forward.

The robust approach adopted by Digby Brown and our refusal to put Mr M in a position of accepting less than we felt he was legally entitled to meant that the insurers had no option but to advance an offer that truly reflected what Mr M was entitled to.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Client’s life ten years on shows the difference fair compensation can make

At Digby Brown, we understand that an accident that wasn’t your fault can affect many areas of your life for years afterwards.

There will be some things that compensation can’t replace but we know the difference that having financial security can make and will do everything we can to get every client the compensation they deserve.

Our clients tell us about the difference compensation has made to their lives –  the email reproduced below is from a client whose case settled ten years ago but whose life continues to be improved by the compensation Digby Brown secured. The case was managed by Sue Grant, Digby Brown partner and head of our Clinical Negligence Department.

Dear Sue

Ten years ago, on 14 January 2003, a new life began for me when my case settled out of court just before it was due to be heard at the Court of Session. I remember hugging you and shaking hands with our Advocate - today I'd probably hug him too!

It's just over 15 years since a heavy panel fell on me while at a sports centre in Edinburgh. Shortly afterwards, you may remember, you took on my case and worked tirelessly on my behalf until that January day in Parliament Hall. Since then, I've had frustrating problems from time to time but I've also had some very happy times and have had a fair bit of success with my new pastime, writing. And thanks to the settlement I have been able to recover without having to worry about money.

I'd just like to thank you once again for all your hard work and also for your personal support in a dark period of my life when, looking back, I was in a very fragile state.