Mr J, the amateur athlete – award of nearly £200,000.00 to reflect change of lifestyle.

Appearances can be deceptive however, as our client’s life has changed dramatically since the accident as he was a very capable and successful marathon and triathlon competitor beforehand. He used to run and cycle many miles a day, won plenty of trophies and his social life revolved around sports. Now, he can do very little physical exercise without tiring and experiencing pain. He tried his hardest to achieve greater recovery, often putting himself through punishing levels of pain, but finally decided, after receiving medical advice, that his athletic days are over.

As his job mostly consists of medium-level manual activities, he cannot work as long or as effectively as he used to. His disability has reduced his chances of promotion significantly, giving him a very different outlook on life.
Due to his particular circumstances, especially having to give up the sporting life he loved, Mr J received nearly £200,000.00 in damages and his legal fees were paid in full by the driver’s insurers. Much of the award reflected the likely reduction in his future earnings.

Had he been a couch potato with no active interests, his compensation would have been much less.

This case illustrates how each client is different and how our personal circumstances and lifestyles affect the amounts of compensation we receive by way of award for our “Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity”.

If, following someone else’s negligence, I suffered 2 broken bones in my foot, and made a near-complete recovery, I would receive around £5000. Just imagine how much Wayne Rooney would receive for the same injury?