When a community midwife was involved in a car accident on 11 August 2016, she decided to pursue a claim with Thompsons' road traffic accident solicitors so that she could receive compensation for her injuries.
Our client had stopped her vehicle in the right-hand lane at traffic lights, planning to turn right at the junction. She was waiting behind a large taxi. All of a sudden, our client noticed that the taxi's reverse lights had come on. Before she had time to react, the driver had reversed into the front of her car, jolting it and causing our client an injury. It was later learned that the taxi driver reversed because he'd got a call about a fare, which required him to turn left at the lights instead of right. The taxi driver admitted liability at the scene.
The Consequences
The force of the impact caused the community midwife to suffer from ongoing neck pain. This gradually got worse, and occupational health referred her to physiotherapy for a series of sessions.
Our client had to visit the hospital on the day of the collision as well as her GP. It was confirmed she had suffered a soft tissue cervical spine injury.
Our client didn't sustain any loss of earnings because she didn't take any time off work, but she did lose some money as she could not attend a pre-booked fitness class because of her injury.
The Settlement
Our client's union, the Royal College of Midwives, referred her to Thompsons' road traffic accident solicitors. We intimated a claim to the third-party insurers. Primary liability was admitted, though causation was initially disputed.
On 29 August 2917, the case was settled pre-litigation under the Scottish voluntary pre-action protocol for £5,670. The compensation award included £4,565 in damages and £1,105 to cover treatment costs.
