Four-figure sum secured for 23-year-old driver after crash just streets from home

“You rarely hear about young drivers making personal injury claims, but at the end of the day the accident impacted my life – so I’m glad I went through the process.”

Rhianne Laing was less than a mile from home when a van smashed into the driver’s side door of her Nissan Juke.

At 23 years old, it was the first time the nursery worker from Perth had been involved in a car accident.

Rhianne recalled: “It was my day off work and my boyfriend and I had cleared out some stuff in the house to take to the tip – it was just your average day, until it wasn’t.

“We were almost at the recycling centre and this car just shot out of the junction next to us. I remember screaming because I knew he was going to hit us and there was nothing I could do.”

The driver’s side door was jammed shut due to the impact so Rhianne, already shaken by the collision, had to climb over to the passenger side to exit the vehicle.

After the young couple steadied themselves and exchanged details with the van driver, who apologised saying he couldn’t see them because of the low sun, they managed to drive the car a couple of streets back to their home.

The 23-year-old said: “The first thing I did when I got back was phone my car insurance company to let them know about the accident.

“They asked me lots of questions about if I was sore or injured and said that they had people who could help me with a personal injury claim – but at the time I was still in a state of shock and couldn’t even think straight so I said no.

“I was worried about leaving the car at the house because it could very easily be broken into because of the damage – that was my priority at the time to get the car picked up and organise a courtesy car.”

Like many people in accidents similar to Rhianne’s - where everyone is able to drive away after the incident - she didn’t feel the full effects of the collision straight away.

In the days that followed, she began experiencing pain along the lower and middle right side of her back - the exact area that had taken the brunt of the impact against the driver’s side door.

The discomfort failed to ease in the weeks following the accident with every day actions like walking becoming a struggle.

When Rhianne had to take time off from work because of the pain, she chose to seek legal support with a road traffic accident claim.

After searching online for next steps to take following a car accident, and recognising the Digby Brown name from our nearby Dundee office and adverts on television, the 23-year-old submitted an enquiry to our website.

Euan Robertson, Senior Associate in our Dundee office, took on the case.

Rhianne said: “I was nervous about making a claim because I always thought they were only for people involved in major accidents with more serious injuries than mine.

“But this did impact my life – I was in a lot of pain and off work so losing earnings.

“From the first phone call with Digby Brown I was put at ease and knew I was doing the right thing – and that I’d gone to the right people.”

Euan quickly got to work gathering earnings loss and medical evidence to build a full picture of what happened and the impact the accident had on Rhianne’s life.

This evidence not only strengthened her claim for compensation but also meant that when Rhianne renewed her car insurance policy, her no claims bonus was protected as she could clearly prove the crash wasn’t her fault.

Just over eight months after the accident, Euan secured £5,570 in rightful compensation for the 23-year-old.

Rhianne concluded: “I’ve never had to claim before so I didn’t know what to expect – but I felt in such safe hands and was made to feel at ease which was massive for me as a young driver.

“I was impressed from the get-go because they told me on the first phone call that they could take my case on. I thought I’d be waiting weeks to find out.

“Euan was genuinely lovely. I asked him a million questions and he made sure I knew what was going on at each stage. He never made me feel like I was a burden - I trusted him.

“I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near the amount of compensation Euan secured for me, not in my wildest dreams, so I was over the moon with the result.

“I’d say to any young driver if you’ve been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, get in touch with Digby Brown. They know what they’re doing!”