Teenager struck by car while walking to shop secures nearly £7,000

Brady Stewart was crossing the road on his way to the supermarket when he was struck by a car.

He was nearly at the other side of Hutcheon Street in Aberdeen only to be clipped by a speeding vehicle.

The impact was so severe the 18-year-old’s shoes flew off his feet and were hurled 20 metres up the street. 

Brady from Perth said: “It just came out of nowhere. I heard the noise but couldn’t really see anything, so there was no way of moving out of the way.

“It clipped me on my left side, knocked me to the ground and took off the wing mirror - then the car just drove off.”

Bystanders supported the teen until paramedics arrived – Brady was checked at the scene, but no major injuries were identified so he returned home to Dundee. 

However, after the adrenaline died down Brady quickly experienced pain and mobility issues so he was taken to Ninewells Hospital by his parents. In many pedestrian accidents the full extent of injuries only becomes clear after the initial shock has worn off.

Scans revealed the extent of his injuries: a fractured pelvis, a fractured left wrist and cuts across his back. 

At the time of the accident, Brady worked as a warehouse operative but as this was a manual labour role his injuries meant he was unable to work properly.

He added: “It was about three months in total before I felt back to normal.

“That was frustrating. I like having a routine and being active so being stuck at home was a real strain. I also had to rely on mum and dad for help which felt strange.”

Despite the new challenges Brady didn’t hesitate to seek legal advice and chose Digby Brown after recognising the firm’s adverts and hearing positive feedback from others. 

The road accident claim was handled by Declan Grimason, a solicitor in Digby Brown’s Dundee office, who guided him through the process from start to finish.

Declan was able to recover all the necessary evidence from the police to prove what happened – the lawyer then gathered all the medical evidence to show how the injuries impacted him. 

As the driver could not be traced, Brady’s claim was made against the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) – an organisation specially set up to compensate victims of hit and run drivers. 

This meant Declan was still able to secure compensation for his client even in the absence of the at-fault driver.

The MIB first made an offer of £5,266 to settle the case however Declan advised Brady to reject this as the legal investigations showed he was entitled to more.

One week later the MIB came back with a second offer of £6,977 which was accepted. 

Brady, who had no expectations regarding his car crash injury claim, said: “I’d never been through anything like this before but Declan talked me through every step so I was never left in the dark.

“He would phone with updates and explain what was happening and what would come next – whenever he asked for information from me he always explained why it was needed and how it would help and this made the whole process feel pretty straightforward.

“It’s clear now that getting legal advice from the right people makes it so much easier to deal with.

“I really appreciated all the help and support I got. It made a big difference.”