Hudgell Solicitors’ expert accident abroad team have represented a 13-year-old girl who suffered long-lasting physical injuries and emotional impact after a Spanish motorist collided with their family rental car whilst they were on holiday in Spain.
Our client was a passenger in a car that was stationary at a “Stop” junction off a motorway slip-road near Llampaies, Spain, when a local Spanish driver lost control of his vehicle and collided directly into the passenger side of the car our client was travelling in.
The impact of the collision and the severe force experienced meant that police, fire and ambulance services were immediately called to the scene. Thankfully, all passengers were wearing a seatbelt.
The car windows did, however, completely shatter causing the left-hand side of our young client’s face to be sprayed with shards of glass and debris from the vehicle. She sustained significant cuts and scars to both her left cheek and the inside of her mouth causing long-term physical scarring and a need for several correctional surgeries on her return to England.
The extent of her injuries has affected our client not only physically, but psychologically too.
‘Incidents like this are about so much more than the collision’
Head of travel litigation Paul McClorry has worked closely with the family throughout their accident abroad claim and knows first-hand the damage caused.
“This young girl suffered very serious lacerations to her face and the inside of her mouth caused by the crash. Despite repeated surgical revision procedures, she has been left with facial scarring, which is visible at conversational distance,” he said.
“Incidents like this are about so much more than the collision, they are about how lives are affected as a result of them.
“The emotional impact of the scarring that our young client has been through is something that has been most upsetting for her and the family.
“She needed to stay indoors for the rest of the family holiday to keep the wounds out of the sun.
“Then, when back home, medical appointments aside, she had to remain housebound for a further four weeks, unable to return to the school at the start of a new year.
“When she was healthy enough to return, a safeguarding plan was put in place for five more weeks where she was unable to participate in PE and had to move between classes at different times to other students, all of which caused her to feel really isolated.
“As a result, she experienced some bullying at the hands of other students which caused her to suffer panic attacks and feelings of anxiety around travelling again.
“She has since attended her GP practice for this and received four sessions of counselling through the Relate youth services.
“I am pleased that our client is well on her road to recovery today and hope that the recompense received can go some way to providing some peace of mind for our client and her family.”
Holiday claims solicitor: The accident abroad legal case
Mr McClorry acted on behalf of the young girl after previously representing her mother and father throughout their accident abroad claims.
Representatives of the girl and the third party Spanish insurer each provided reports on the assessment of the claim in Spanish law and produced a detailed statement setting out their areas of agreement and disagreement.
After considering the reports and securing and assessing expert medical advice, liability was admitted by the Spanish insurer and Mr McClorry was able to secure damages for a significant five-figure sum for our client.
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