Archived News

Harris Cartier LLP Achieve Record Damages of £2.1 Million for Leg Amputee

25 November 2009

Kent Pattinson, Head of the Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Department at Harris Cartier LLP, led a team of lawyers including Vanessa Hills, Senior Associate Solicitor, who was a key member of the legal team, who successfully recovered record damages for a client who suffered an above knee leg amputation.

Our client was involved in a serious road traffic accident and spent many weeks in hospital. She was discharged from hospital in a wheelchair. A successful claim was made for gratuitous family care that was provided to our client and her young family by her relatives.

We obtained a substantial interim payment from the Defendants to allow our client to be fitted with a tailor made prosthesis which was far better than the one provided by the NHS. The interim payment also allowed our client to purchase a wheelchair as the one provided by her local wheelchair service did not fit her well and she was unable to manoeuvre it with ease herself.

In addition, the interim payment meant that before her case was finalised she was able to move to more suitable accommodation.

The case was settled through negotiations and a settlement of £2.1 million plus legal costs was reached. It is thought that this is as record amount of damages for an above knee leg amputee case.

by Vanessa Hills