We recently acted on behalf of a client who sustained significant injuries after being unexpectedly struck from behind by a golf buggy whilst attending an international golf tournament.
Our retired client was attending the tournament with a friend where they had been avidly spectating the game, which was nearing its conclusion. Our client was walking to the 18th hole for the culmination of the tournament when she was struck from behind by an electric golf buggy, which had been overladen with passengers.
On being struck by the golf buggy, which had one of the 5 passengers sitting on the bonnet, obstructing the drivers view, our client sustained a personal injury. The impact caused our client to fall onto a concrete path and our client’s foot and ankle were trapped underneath the buggy. Our client was initially very shocked and in a lot of pain. Her right wrist appeared deformed, so paramedics were called, and she was taken to hospital by ambulance. At the hospital our client was advised that she had sustained a serious fracture to the wrist, and she required immediate surgery. At the time, she was advised she had sustained soft tissue injuries to her lower limbs, but it was later established by way of the medico-legal evidence obtained, that she had also sustained an extrusion and tear in the lateral meniscus in her knee when she fell to the ground. Our client was traumatised by the accident and suffered psychological injuries also.
After the collision, our client was unable to use her injured right arm while she recovered and required care and assistance from friends and family members. She also struggled to walk or stand for long periods because of her knee pain. We were able to obtain an early admission of liability from the Defendant and we also negotiated agreement with the Insurer to fund our client’s rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Code 2015. With this funding, our client was able to select her own physiotherapy provider, which was near her home, allowing her to attend physiotherapy sessions in order to strengthen her wrist and her knee. Prior to the accident our client had been an active individual who enjoyed various forms of exercise, so her goal was to get back to the level of activity that she had enjoyed before the accident.
The collision had not only affected our client physically, it also affected our client’s mental wellbeing. She became anxious about the potential implications of the accident on her life and retirement plans and she lost her confidence and self-esteem. In addition to the physiotherapy treatment, we worked with the Defendant Insurer to ensure the psychological support was also funded, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy was arranged, which our client found beneficial.
The Defendant Insurer made an initial pre-medical evidence offer to settle our client’s claim which we advised to be inadequate due to the extent of our client’s injuries. We obtained medical evidence from an orthopaedic surgeon for both her upper and lower limb injuries and a psychiatrist. We presented our client’s medical evidence to the Defendant’s insurers and managed to negotiate a significant settlement figure which would ensure that our client was adequately compensated for her injuries in addition to ensuring that she can undergo the recommended treatment in the future.
If you or a family member have a personal injury in an accident involving an electric vehicle such as an electric scooter, a mobility scooter or any other small electrical vehicle our team of expert solicitors can help. If you need to speak with one of our expert personal injury solicitors, please call us on (+44) 023 8071 8000 or contact us online.
