The accident

Mark Smith was about 36 years old when he suffered a serious injury at work.

Mark fell over five feet to the ground. His immediate injury that was apparent to his colleagues, was a serious open wound to the back of his head. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

The injuries

When Mark arrived at the hospital, it was obvious to the medical staff that had suffered a head trauma and the wound required stitches. Because of the nature of the injury, he was also sent to have a brain scan. Immediately following the accident he became aware of very bad back pain.

Within a few days of the accident Mark was still in severe pain and whilst he thought that it might be due to the trauma of the fall, he made an appointment to see his own GP. He explained to his GP that the pain was increasing and his GP prescribed more pain medication.

As time progressed, the pain to his back became increasingly severe and he decided to seek further help. He paid to see a private physiotherapist who also arranged for him to have an X ray of his back.  It was established that he had sustained two broken vertebrae, and that this was the cause of the constant pain.  He was seen by a back specialist and was told that the injury had caused structural changes to his spine and that it was very unlikely that this would ever go away. 

The claim process

Mark realised that he was not going to make a full recovery from the accident and instructed a law firm to act on his behalf. He was never satisfied with the level of service from the firm: communication was very poor, his calls were rarely returned and when the firm eventually did receive an offer of settlement from the third party, it was not acceptable. Mark’s injury claim had been valued, yet he was being advised to accept a much lower offer of compensation.

WE Solicitors took over the claim from Mark’s previous firm and he said that difference between the two firms was astonishing. He said that as soon as the team at WE took over his case, they were extremely approachable, accessible and proactive.

The outcome

Prior to the accident Mark had been a regular at the gym and went running several times a week. The nature of his injuries meant that he had to significantly alter his fitness regime and find other ways to keep active. He has had to accept that the pain that he now suffers each day is going to be a constant in his life and he just has to get on with it. Eventually, the claim was settled at over twice the amount that the other firm had recommended that he accept.

Mark says that he was very impressed with the team at WE Solicitors, especially Rachel and Steve. He said that as soon as they took his case, they were enthusiastic, helpful and clearly knew what they were doing. He went on to say, “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend WE Solicitors. For anyone who is going through a similar experience, had an accident or looking to change their solicitor, I’d tell them to just go for it and give them a call. I was very impressed with them and very happy with the settlement.”