The Injuries

Rhiannon had already been through a traumatic experience at the roadside and despite reaching hospital, her ordeal was not over.

“It was one of the busiest days of the year. I was on a ward corridor, and they actually put me up against the computers where the nurses were, before moving me into a side room.” Rhiannon described it as a ‘death room’.

“I was just trying to keep myself together and my mum and dad were there at that point, so I had their company. I felt a bit better, and I just kept trying to distract myself from the pain.

“I had severe bruising across my shoulder from the seat belt. I didn’t feel it at the time, but I had actually broken my leg and had quite a deep laceration on my knee and broke my pinkie finger as well. I hadn’t broken a bone before this.”

The Impact

After leaving hospital, Rhiannon returned home to live with her parents and begin her recovery. She remembers how difficult even simple tasks were at first:

“It took me over an hour to get from the car to the bottom of the stairs, which is only 20 metres.”

The pain made it hard to sleep, and for the first few days she had to use a Zimmer frame to get around. Her parents provided crucial support.

“My mum and dad drove me around for at least four or five months. My dad was always taking me to appointments and with working nights, he didn’t get much rest.”

Getting back behind the wheel was another hurdle. “I was terrified of driving. My accident was 19 months ago and I have not been able to drive until recently.”

The campsite where Rhiannon worked was in a remote part of the Dales, with no public transport nearby, so returning to work would be difficult. After some time off sick, she realised she wouldn’t be able to go back because of her injuries.

“I missed out on a big summer of wages; I was about to go from 30 hours up to about 55 hours. I loved working outside and looking after my alpacas. I absolutely loved it.

“I tried to change my career to how I was after my accident, I was still struggling a lot with the pain. But a desk job just wasn’t right for me.”

The Personal Injury Claim

In the aftermath of the accident, Rhiannon felt like her life “was put back” and that she would be dealing with the repercussions “at least a few more years.”

Rhiannon approached her car insurer for help.

“They got me my money for my car, but apparently, I wasn’t covered for the right stuff, even though I thought I was. They were just useless and so unsympathetic. They kept saying, ‘we have given you your money’. At the end of the day, they didn’t care about me.

“I was left with practically nothing and injured, and I was so upset and isolated. My friends all came together to support me and took me out for a bit of lunch, because I couldn’t keep doing it on my own. We were discussing how we might find some extra help. I was like, you know what? I’ve seen this advert 1,000 times. Like we all know the Injury Lawyers 4u advert. I said you know what, I am just going to ring them. They put me straight through to Express Solicitors and they were straight on it.”

Making a Personal Injury Claim with Express Solicitors

“Express Solicitors were cracking, they went through absolutely every single detail with me. Don’t get me wrong, I have not enjoyed going through every detail. But they were really helpful and kept in contact with me quite regularly. It was nice to just be able to ring up and ask questions or even just to speak to one of the team.”

Collette McCann, Partner Road Traffic Accidents, represented Rhiannon.

“Collette was always working to try and help me and my claim; she looked into little details. For example, my knee injury, she would think about what kind of specialist would be best for it and who else I could get advice from to help with my mental health. She was constantly trying to think of more options to help me and do better for me.

“It can be difficult when you have so many options, but Collette always talked me through the options so well, she gave me more of an understanding of what I was choosing, and I’m very glad about the choices that I made. Throughout the claim she was brilliant.”

Recovery

After making a claim, Rhiannon was able to access specialist treatment to begin rebuilding her life.

“The most important thing to me, was just trying to get back to how I was and they have been so helpful. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own. Catherine, my caseworker, and the rehabilitation team have been amazing. They even helped me with writing a CV and looking at little things like skills and stuff to help me get a job and build up my confidence.”

A significant milestone for Rhiannon was regaining the confidence to drive.

“I have had numerous different therapies. But before making a claim with Express, I had only standard therapy. So, I went back and had specialist treatment like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR therapy) and a couple of driving lessons to help build up some confidence.”

Compensation

“The whole team were so helpful getting me back to how I was before and to the point where I am now. I am so grateful for the little things; they helped me get closure which I would not have got without their help. If I hadn’t have gone to them, I would have just been left in limbo with no car, no money and no job. After an accident you can be isolated and you don’t know what to do, I kept calling it ‘being in limbo’ to Collette. I don’t like living this way it’s absolutely rubbish – I can now look forward.”

Looking to the future, Rhiannon is eager to return to what she loves, working with children as a scout leader and enjoying the outdoors.

“Since I have received compensation, I have been able to finally get a car and get back my independence back. It has given me the opportunity to become more me again.”

Collette added:

“Rhiannon has been fantastic to work with throughout the claims process and her story is really inspiring. An important part of our role, and sometimes the compensation figure at the end of the claim can detract from this, is to help people to rehabilitate after serious injury. We help clients on their journey, as in Rhiannon’s case to establish a support network around them and signpost them to the right specialists to get back to the life they enjoyed before the accident. For Rhiannon, we managed to secure an early admission of liability which allowed for specialist rehabilitation to begin promptly, which likely helped speed up her recovery. I am really pleased she can now put the accident behind her and begin a new chapter.”