Examples

Some of the claimants presented here did not have private medical insurance and may have had to endure an unsatisfactory wait for NHS treatment. However, seeking compensation through Swift allowed them to obtain interim payments to fund prompt specialist care and facilitate quicker recovery.

Road Traffic Accidents #1

Mr A was a car driver in Saturday afternoon town traffic travelling at about 25 mph when an oncoming car pulled across in front of him at the last moment giving him no time to react. He drove into the side of the crossing car. At impact he was violently jolted in his seat and initially felt uninjured. That evening he developed a stiff painful neck severe enough to get a Casualty opinion and advice. He went on to experience troublesome symptoms for about 3 months. The other driver was convicted for several road traffic offences and the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) settled the claim because he was not insured.

Road Traffic Accidents #2
Mr B was a lorry driver who was knocked off his motor cycle on his way home from work. He landed awkwardly injuring his neck and knee. As his whiplash injury improved he found that the persistent knee problem prevented him from loading and unloading his lorry. In liaison with the Solicitor and Insurers he was referred to a private Orthopaedic Surgeon who promptly assessed his knee and performed an arthroscopy at 4 weeks. This cured the symptoms. He received compensation and is working normally in his original job.

	Road Traffic Accidents #3
	Ms C was the front-seat passenger of a car involved in a road traffic accident on a motorway. She suffered a moderate whiplash injury and prolonged severe shock. The neck injury fully resolved in 12 months but she became so nervous with driving that for 2 to 3 years she would travel miles out of her way to totally avoid motorways. After private sessions with a Clinical Psychologist she regained her driving confidence. She received compensation and is now driving normally.

Road Traffic Accidents #4
Mr D was a cyclist going past a side road when a van cut across in front of him to turn left. He was knocked off the bike sustaining a fractured wrist with grazes and bruising to the arms and legs. He made a full recovery and a received compensation and a replacement bike.

	Trips and Slips
	Ms E was a middle-aged lady walking along a dark lane near her home. She tripped on the edge of a pothole and suffered a severely sprained ankle that took many months to resolve because of weakness from a previous injury. After prolonged negotiations on liability she received compensation.

Accidents at Work #1
Mr F was a 57 year old office worker approaching retirement age. As he sat on a chair at his desk it broke and gave way such that he fell backwards injuring his head and neck. The employer was found liable. The neck injury was severe with bone and nerve damage but eventually it stabilised with permanent discomfort. Mr F was unable to return to work. He received considerable compensation for his injury and loss of earnings.

	Accidents at Work #2
	Ms G was a part-time worker in the warehouse section of a supermarket. An unsecured ladder and a number of items fell onto her while she was working at ground level. She had a scalp laceration with a neck and shoulder injury. The events were properly recorded in the incident book. She went on to make a full recovery with the help of private physiotherapy. She returned to the same job and received compensation.

Accidents at Work #3
Mr H was a labourer on a large building site. While walking across the site he stepped in a loop of rope. Coincidentally a heavy bucket attached to the rope fell down a 60ft hole. He was caught in the loop and dragged to the hole. As he saved himself the weight of the falling bucket broke his ankle and he broke free. Mr H received emergency NHS treatment. A construction firm admitted liability and he received private physiotherapy. Following his claim through Swift, he received interim payments to fund his treatment. Thus he retained his employment, initially returning part-time. He is now working full time for the same firm with some residual disability. He received considerable compensation from the Insurers.

	Accidents in the Home
	Ms I was shaving her legs in the bathroom at home. Suddenly she realised there was a large pool of blood on the floor. She had slashed herself over a vein with the razor without realising and bled a substantial amount. The razor was faulty and the manufacturer admitted liability. She received compensation for the injury, the resultant scar on her leg and damage to the bathroom carpet.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Claims
Mr J was walking along the high street when he was mugged and hit from behind, causing him to trip and knock himself out on the pavement. He was robbed of a small amount of cash. As he recovered from the bruising and grazes it was apparent that he had injured his neck. He wore a soft collar intermittently for several weeks and took over six months to return to normal. He eventually received some compensation.

	Clinical Negligence
	Mr K was a middle-aged man with severe asthma on maximum medication. He appropriately received steroid tablets from a Respiratory Consultant to get him through an acute bad spell. He continued to take them for almost a year, which was perhaps longer than necessary. He suffered bone thinning as a side effect of the prolonged steroid usage and had to have a hip replacement. To prove medical negligence and obtain compensation it was necessary to show that the steroids had been given for too long. Poor communication between the patient and several doctors may have led to excessive prescriptions being dispensed, but it was unclear from the patients statement and medical records how much the patient had actually taken. It was difficult for independent medical experts to determine when the patient should have come off the steroid without it resulting in his asthma becoming worse. It was also difficult to apportion blame between the doctors. In summary, the claim was of limited success.

Fairgrounds
Mr L was a young man who had been a passenger on a fast ride at a theme park. Several carriages came off the rails at slow speed causing minor sprains and bruises to a few people including him. He was assessed in Casualty and had soft tissue injuries that took a couple of months to fully recover. He was so distressed by the experience he went on suffer nightmares and flashbacks lasting many months. Our solicitor acted for a group of claimants and he received compensation about 15 months later.

	The Elderly
	Mr M was an elderly, but independent man who was getting off a bus near his home. Before he moved away from the bus the doors closed and it pulled away. He was thrown to the ground and his foot was run over by the back wheel of the bus. The bus driver stopped in response to passengers' shouts. Mr M was severely shocked and suffered severe injuries which necessitated a prolonged stay in hospital and eventual discharge to a nursing home where he declined mentally. Due to the severity of his injuries he required several medical reports. He received considerable compensation and private treatment.

Buses
Ms N was a passenger on the back seat of a bus that stopped suddenly. She was thrown down the centre aisle hitting her head and shoulder. She suffered extensive bruising, a stiff neck and a prolonged stiff painful shoulder. After physiotherapy she made a full recovery at 3 to 6 months and received compensation.

	Trains
	Ms O was a passenger on a train that stopped between stations due to fire in a carriage. She suffered a sprained ankle, a mild chest condition leaving a cough for several months and a prolonged period of flashbacks of horrific scenes that she had witnessed. She became too frightened to travel by train. This became intrusive to her daily living. She was helped by a Clinical Psychologist and received compensation.

Hotels at Home and Abroad
Mr P was a middle-aged man staying in a hotel on holiday in Spain. The open passageway outside his room was cleaned and hosed down. Going towards his room he slipped on the floor and suffered a cut and a wrist injury. The injury was very slow to heal despite physiotherapy. He returned with photographs of his injuries and the unsatisfactory circumstances prevailing in the hotel. After a Swift medical report he received compensation.

	Food Poisoning
	Mr Q, with a group of people, attended a residential conference. Following a meal many of them suffered severe gastro-enteritis. Some were much worse than others. Swift appointed a solicitor in a group action of single claims against the caterers. Despite living in different parts of the country they all had the same sub-species of bowel bacteria causing diarrhoea and an independent assessment of the kitchens found them to be unhygienic. They all saw the same Swift appointed Gastroenterology Consultant, acting as an independent Expert Medical Witness and they each received compensation

Hairdressers
Ms R attended her usual hairdresser's salon for a hair perm. The usual hairdresser was unavailable on this occasion. One of the new staff washed her hair and proceeded with the perm. Ms R expressed concern that it was uncomfortable but she was reassured and was left waiting for longer than usual. When she returned home she discovered bright red burns around the edges of her scalp. These areas went on to blister and peel. Some of the hair-changed colour and the hair did not have its normal texture. She saw her Doctor who found that the scalp was flaking and referred her to Swift. Having taken photos she was able to proceed with a successful claim for negligence and damages.

	Sports Centres
	Master S was an 8 year old boy attending a judo lesson at a sports centre. He needed to go to the toilet during the class and was directed to go without anybody in attendance. As he hurriedly returned the heavy automatic swing door closed too quickly and shut on his hand causing a broken finger and damaged nail. After this experience he suffered nightmares for several weeks and when the finger healed he refused to go back to the sports centre. The sports centre admitted liability for the faulty door-return and his parents received compensation for him.