My Personal Injury Journey with Warner Goodman; How a trip changed my life

Here at Warner Goodman, our Personal Injury team work tirelessly for those who have become injured through no fault of their own; whether that be due to an industrial illness such as asbestosis, a trip or fall, an accident at work, or a road traffic collision leading to a serious injury.

One person the team have been able to support following an accident is Sally*.  We hear her story here and how our team helped her rebuild her life and support her through an incredibly emotional time in her life.

Trip in a local supermarket

In 2012, I was leaving my local supermarket when one of the shop assistants’, not knowing I was nearby, put out her foot while telling a story and tripped me up.  Paramedics were called to the store who took me to hospital.  While I was waiting the manager of the supermarket and the shop assistant involved were extremely apologetic and acknowledged that it was their fault. 

I was left with a broken wrist and at the time thought I would have a cast for 8 weeks and be off work for the same amount of time.  I was expecting to hear from the store, even just to apologise again, but nothing came.  I am very much of the opinion that we are all human and accidents happen, however as the days passed and I still didn’t hear anything, I felt more and more that they really didn’t care. 

Over the coming weeks it became clear that my injuries were more severe and I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).  I attended pain management course in hospital for a month, receiving holistic treatment aimed at a combination of physical, cognitive and psychological therapies.  While this was excellent and helped me manage the pain better, after that month there was then no other drop in centre I could visit for ongoing support and rehabilitation, and in total I was off work for 8 months.  I am incredibly lucky that my employer provided sick pay; without which I would have gone into arrears on my mortgage.  Since I have returned to work, due to the ongoing problems with my wrist I have had to reduce to part time work, which has had a knock on effect on my pension. 

The long term effect the injury has had on my life is hard to explain to people who have not been in that situation before; even though now I am better mentally than I was, I am on permanent pain killers.  I don’t drive as often as I did and as I am on my own my whole independence has been in jeopardy.   I struggled emotionally as I couldn’t sleep due to the pain and financial worry, and was put on anti-depressants.  One painful reminder has been my garden; my pride and joy before my accident.  I am lucky enough to have a 100 foot garden; however after my accident I obviously couldn’t tend to it, so every time I looked outside I was faced with an overgrown garden, a visual reminder of what had happened. 

How Warner Goodman helped me following my accident

A couple of weeks after my accident, I saw an advert about claiming compensation, and as I had not heard from the supermarket I felt I should investigate to see what my options were, and I am so pleased that I did. 

I worked with Dan Thompson, one of the Personal Injury Partners at Warner Goodman, who supported me from when I made first contact a few weeks after the accident in 2012 to the end of the claim when I received my compensation in September 2016.  I could not have asked for anybody better or more professional, and I really felt like Dan was working for me and had my interests at heart. 

During the claim I had to undergo a number of different medical examinations and investigations about the cause of my ongoing symptoms, and Dan was always on hand to explain why these were happening and what the next steps were.

The process was a long one, and often I felt vulnerable and emotional, and sometimes like giving up and dropping the claim. However, Dan would always support and encourage me, all the while considering how I was feeling in my frame of mind at that time.  He always did what he said he would do and went above and beyond.   The best way I can describe it would be being lost and injured in a maze and someone comes along to guide you out.  I felt like I could completely trust Dan and I would definitely recommend him, and Warner Goodman, to anyone else who has been injured. 

Injury Team

If you have been in an accident that was not your fault and looking to claim compensation, you can contact Dan or the Personal Injury team on 0800 91 92 30 or email injuryteamenquiries@warnergoodman.co.uk.

*Client’s name has been changed for anonymity.

ENDS

This is for information purposes only and is no substitute for, and should not be interpreted as, legal advice.  All content was correct at the time of publishing and we cannot be held responsible for any changes that may invalidate this article.