When a superwoman loses her powers: pursuing a compensation claim for functional neurological disorder

Posted: 12/02/2025

Partner Warren Collins describes a recent case, in which the personal injury team was able to secure a significant settlement for a woman whose life was turned upside down by functional neurological disorder (FND) after a motorcycle accident. 

Life was good for Charlie (not her real name) – in fact, it was great. She had reached the peaks of a successful life. A loving husband and children, a beautiful home in the leafy suburbs of south-west London and a stellar career in the City reflected by numerous industry accolades and awards which justified her six-figure salary. Charlie enjoyed the high life: glamourous fashion, exotic international travel and fine dining. She worked hard and deserved it. But above all, her passion was motorcycling; big, fast and powerful motorcycles. 

In 2020, during the pandemic, Charlie was riding her motorcycle, on her way to deliver some home baked goodies to a loved one in hospital. Traffic had built up and an impatient car driver decided to reverse out of a queue to take a different route. The driver collided with Charlie and although this was a low-speed collision, she was knocked off her bike. At first, it seemed this was just a minor accident. Charlie got herself up, dusted herself down and apart from a broken wing mirror and some minor dents and scratches on the bike, it seemed that both she and the bike had escaped anything more serious. Charlie’s mind was on her hospital visit and she continued her journey.

Later, the headaches started. Within days of the accident, Charlie started to suffer the kind of dizzy, nauseous headaches that a dose of paracetamol just won’t shift. A visit to the GP led to stronger pain killers, but within another couple of weeks she had to call an ambulance when she was so dizzy, she could barely stand.

Charlie soldiered on. She was convinced that the symptoms would pass and when her motorcycle insurers offered her a courtesy bike and lawyers to advance a claim, she agreed. She was assigned a ‘specialist motorcycle law firm’. They told her she had a big claim – maybe as much as £15,000. She thought that might pay for a nice holiday.

As this was in the middle of lockdown, she could manage her symptoms from home and take breaks so no one would notice. However, the symptoms increased both in frequency and intensity. Headaches, panic attacks, memory loss, concentration difficulties, stomach cramps and bloating.

And those at work did notice. Charlie was missing deadlines and missing meetings. When the lockdown restrictions eased and colleagues returned to the office, Charlie was ‘missing in action’, and when she did eventually make it in, often late in the working day, it could be a disaster. She was rude to colleagues and clients and was making mistakes. She presented as chaotic and unkempt.

By late 2022, the specialist motorcycle lawyers were excited. They had secured an offer of settlement of £15,000, and recommended she give it serious consideration, because she would be at risk of losing everything if she ended up being awarded less. 

This did not seem quite right to Charlie. She explained to her lawyers that she had been diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), and yet they seemed to have no understanding of what that meant. Charlie felt she needed a second legal opinion. After undertaking her own research in December 2022, Charlie approached Penningtons Manches Cooper.

We are used to taking over cases from previous solicitors. It is often easier to take cases from lawyers who are out of their depth than to refine mediocre or bland handling of a claim. The handling of Charlie’s case fell into the former category, and this meant we simply started the whole process again. We secured a complete set of clinical notes and records and then commissioned expert evidence from a neurologist and neuropsychiatrist with credible expertise in FND. Within a matter of months, we secured witness statements from eight colleagues who could speak of the stark difference between pre- and post-accident performance at work, as well as expert evidence supporting intensive treatment.

The presentation of compelling evidence led to an initial interim payment of £60,000 (four times the insurers’ previous offer) to fund the private medical treatment. Treatment was commenced, but Charlie had a lot of work to do. Although by now she was only to work part-time, it was clear to all that her remaining at work was not only damaging to the business – she was also damaging her own reputation in her industry. It was time for her to give up work for a while and concentrate on her recovery. She could return to work after the treatment.

The evidence was compelling, and this was a case we were confident we could negotiate with the insurers. It was up to them whether that would be before or after the issue of court proceedings. They realised that we had secured evidence to support a considerable settlement, and we agreed to meet for negotiations. A settlement meeting took place in July 2024. Offers went backwards and forwards, but by the end of a lengthy day, a settlement in excess of £500,000 was reached. 

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