Several years ago, a thirteen year old client of ours sustained a fractured finger on a ride at a local fairground. It was quite a traumatic event for a teenager which caused her significant distress and interfered with her schoolwork, stopped her being able to participate in sports, prevented her from playing musical instruments for several weeks and left her with a small but permanent deformity.
The insurers of the ride operators strongly denied liability at first. After obtaining helpful witness statements and further legal argument, we eventually persuaded them to change their minds and a settlement of £3000 plus legal fees was agreed and approved by a District Judge in the Sheffield County Court after a short hearing.
Recently, that client received the compensation sum and accrued interest on her 18th birthday.
If some or all of the Government’s proposed personal injury reforms had been introduced before the accident, the client would either have had to fight the insurers without a lawyer or would not have been entitled to compensation at all. Surely that would not be justice but simply further enrichment of an insurance company?
The reforms must be opposed as they will affect everyone’s rights to justice, including children. Please support the Access to Justice Campaign and visit their website for more information.
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