£170,000 in damages for young man deprived of his videography career following motorcycling accident

We secured £170,000 in damages for our client after he was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered significant injuries.

Prior to the accident, our client was a fit and healthy young man who had studied videography, cinematography and directing at university and had gradually worked his way to attaining a (rarely found in the industry) permanent role as a videographer. He was extremely passionate about his job, which he considered a central part of his identity, and spent much of his spare time filming and taking photographs (when he was not playing his guitar).

One evening, he was riding his motorcycle and was struck by a car, the driver of which was driving negligently, and thrown from his bike. Our client does not recall the accident but does remember regaining consciousness and attempting to stand up; he then collapsed on the ground until an ambulance arrived.

The injuries he sustained included a crush spinal fracture, a severe fracture to his left wrist (he is left-handed), carpal tunnel syndrome which required surgery, a mild head injury and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder and a depressive disorder.

Thankfully, the negligent party’s insurance company engaged with our team early on so that we were able to organise proper rehabilitative treatment for our client including physiotherapy, therapy sessions with a clinical psychologist and a further operation on his wrist (to remove a metal plate previously inserted following the accident).

Expert evidence from neurology and orthopaedics specialists determined the full extent of our client’s injuries. Physically, our client was left with a permanent disabling injury to his wrist, where he continues to experience reduced mobility and pain, and ongoing pain in his back and neck. Further, both his spine and left wrist will degenerate as he ages. Most upsettingly for our client, the nature of his injuries permanently prevents him from returning to his career as a videographer and cameraman, due to the dexterity required to operate a camera and the lifting of heavy equipment.

Psychologically, our client did not recover as expected from therapy. Our team understood that his ongoing psychological symptoms were perpetuated by a sense of worthlessness and a loss of identity following being permanently precluded from working in his much loved profession and being completely at a loss as to what to do instead. In recognition of this, we included, within the valuation of the claim, provision for our client to return to tertiary education and retrain in another stimulating and interesting career path commensurate with his academic capability.

Our specialist team recognises that it is imperative to listen and understand the specific nature of each client’s injuries, both psychological and physical, and to make provision for individual requirements in claims to ensure that every client is satisfied with the settlement reached at the conclusion of their case.

On this occasion, despite not being able to give our client back his career in videography and directing, our team secured damages in the sum of £170,000, which included the opportunity for our client to have another, hopefully fulfilling, career.

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