Case study: over £8,000 compensation for pedestrian hit by reversing car

Our specialist Personal Injury team helped a pedestrian to claim compensation for injuries sustained after a car reversed into him.

Accident circumstances and injuries

Our client, Mr B, had just got off a bus and walked down the road to find a safe place to cross. He stepped into a large gap between two parked cars. He saw the road was clear and began to cross. The next thing Mr B remembers is being on the floor with people surrounding him.

A witness confirmed that the Defendant driver had reversed his car. It seemed that he was trying to park in the gap that Mr B was standing in and reversed into him.

As a result of the impact of the collision, Mr B sustained the following injuries:

• Three broken ribs
• Concussion
• A black eye and bruising to the left-hand side of his face
• Psychological symptoms

Claiming compensation for personal injury

Our personal injury solicitors were approached by Mr B to help him claim compensation and we agreed to take on the case on a “no-win, no-fee” basis.

After we received the driver’s details from the police, we conducted an insurance search to locate the details of the insurer for the Defendant. The Claim Notification Form (CNF) was then sent to the Defendant, outlining why we held them at fault. Liability was admitted within 15 days of submitting the claim.

At the time of admitting liability, the Defendant’s insurers made an early offer of settlement of £4,750 before any medical evidence had been obtained. We advised Mr B that we believed he had good prospects of obtaining a higher settlement figure. He therefore chose not to take this offer and we proceeded to obtain expert evidence.

Medical reports obtained

Our Personal Injury team obtained two medical reports from a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and a Clinical Psychologist who confirmed that Mr B had sustained:

• Three fractured ribs which were expected to recover within two and a half months of the accident
• Left side pain (soft tissue injury) which resolved within six weeks of the accident
• An injury to his right finger with associated pain and ongoing “electric shock” feeling; this was anticipated to resolve within nine months of the accident
• Major Depressive Disorder with Anxiety, which was expected to resolve in six months

Financial losses

Mr B suffered minimal financial losses as he was retired at the time of the accident. His shoes and trousers were damaged, and he required some additional care and assistance for a few weeks from his daughter to help him with general chores and personal care whilst he was recovering from the worst of his injuries.

Settlement offers

We valued Mr B’s claim and were of the view that a reasonable settlement would be in the region of £6,000 to £8,000 for his injuries. His financial losses that we included within the claim totalled £331.

Our solicitors commenced settlement negotiations with the Defendant’s insurers and the claim settled for £8,010, the top end of our bracket, and almost double the early offer made by the Defendant’s insurers.

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Speak to our road traffic solicitors in Bristol

If you have been hit by a car, or other motor vehicle, and sustained injuries, you may be entitled to compensation.

Our specialist personal injury solicitors work with clients across the UK from our offices in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. To speak to a member of our team, call us on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.