A college lecturer who suffered a broken leg in a motorcycle accident when hit by a taxi which cut across his lane says he has been delighted with the legal support from Hudgell Solicitors and a £60,000 damages settlement.
Paul Ferris needed to be off work for four months as he recovered from his injuries after the motorbike crash.
He needed to have his leg plated and pinned during a four day stay in Bristol’s Southmead Hospital to treat the fracture to his upper shin.
He also sustained damage to the tissue around his knee, which he has been told can’t be repaired and is likely to lead to the early onset of arthritis in the joint. As a result he is likely to need a knee replacement in the next 10 to 15 years.
Mr Ferris was represented in a no win no fee case by Rebecca Cone, who is part of the personal injury claims team at Hudgell Solicitors. He says her support gave him reassurance during worrying times.
“A motorcycle accident like this has a big impact on your life but the support I have had from Hudgell Solicitors and Rebecca has been wonderful,” said the 60-year old.
“It was a worrying time as I live alone and when you are a single person there is only your own income to cover your outgoings. I rent my property and much of my salary goes towards that each month before other expenditure.
“Thankfully the insurers for the taxi driver admitted fault immediately, but Rebecca set out clearly what my claim would look to recover in terms of damages for loss and for my injuries.
“She kept me in the loop at all times about how the case was progressing and I can’t praise her enough as it was reassuring to know somebody was taking care of the situation and acting in my best interests.”
Motorbike accident happened on busy road during morning rush hour
Mr Ferris had been riding his Yamaha FZ1 motorbike at the time of the motorcycle accident, which happened at around 8.30am when he was travelling to work.
He had been travelling legally in a bus lane when a taxi, which had been travelling the opposite direction, cut between traffic and across the bus lane looking to access a driveway.
“I was only travelling around 15mph at the time because it was a road I travelled on every day which I know backs up with traffic,” Mr Ferris explained.
“I was in the bus lane, which motorbikes are allowed in, and all of a sudden a car came through the traffic on my right hand side and straight into me. I had no time to react or move out of its way.
“Because I wasn’t travelling fast I wasn’t knocked from my bike, but actually trapped against the car bumper. The impact was all taken by my right leg. The driver got out and he apologised and admitted he had been at fault. He said he’d pay for my bike to be repaired, as I am sure he didn’t realise I was badly injured initially.
“It only took a few seconds for the pain to kick in though and it was agony. Some people helped me to the side of the road and the pain was constant and almost unbearable until the paramedics arrived and gave me intravenous painkillers.”
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Mr Ferris, an experienced biker of more than four decades and an ‘advanced rider’, is now back on his new motorbike having made a good recovery, although he does sport a six-inch scar.
“I’m ok now. I can’t really run and I do limp a little and get pain every now and then, but I can get around fine and I am back on my bike, if a little less confident as this was the first accident I have had and I’ve ridden bikes on and off since being 17,” he said.
“As a motorbike rider you have to be aware of what everybody else is doing, and I am.
“Other drivers naturally don’t look for small objects like bikes as the eye naturally looks for cars, buses and lorries. It is why I have always been a careful rider, but this still happened to me so it can happen to anyone.”
Motorcycle accident compensation covered loss of earnings and damages for pain
Personal Injury claims specialist Rebecca Cone secured the £60,000 damages settlement for Mr Ferris and said:
“Sadly we see many cases of a similar nature to this one in which motorcyclists are simply not seen by other road users and are hit without any warning, often causing very serious, life-changing injuries.
“Thankfully, Mr Ferris was riding extremely sensibly and well under the speed limit for the road, taking into account the usual traffic flow at that time of the day. Despite this he still suffered serious injuries in the collision.
“We were pleased that the defendants admitted liability without any dispute as this enables a smoother route towards a successful case, bringing early reassurance that damages could be secured to cover his salary whilst he wasn’t able to work.”
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