£3,900 awarded following a roundabout accident | Case Study

A claimant was awarded £3,900 for pain and suffering and loss of amenity when he suffered soft tissue injuries following an accident at a roundabout.

Circumstances of the accident

The claimant was aged 21 at the time of the accident. He was travelling as a passenger in the rear seat of a car that was hit in the rear by another vehicle while navigating a roundabout.

Details of the claimant's injury

Following the road traffic accident, the claimant was shocked and shaken. He began to suffer with neck pain shortly after the accident. The pain began to spread into both of his shoulders and he visited his GP the following day.

The claimant was diagnosed with whiplash injuries and was prescribed pain killers which he took regularly for four weeks after the accident. The pain affected the claimant's day to day activities and he was recommended a course of physiotherapy. The treatment helped to ease the symptoms of the claimant's injuries.

The claimant did not have any time off from work, but his involvement in his hobbies was reduced for six months.

The claimant was still suffering with his injuries four months after the accident and there was tenderness over his trapezius and posterior scapula muscles as well as to his cervical spine.

The expert in the case said that he suffered an acute neck sprain and soft tissue injuries to his dorsal and upper limb girdle.

It was thought that the symptoms would improve and that by 16 months following the accident they would be resolved. The claimant's systems did indeed improve.

Conclusion and Court award

A settlement could not be agreed between the claimant and defendant and the matter went before the Court.

The claimant was aged 23 at the date of trial, when the Court ordered that £3,900 be paid in damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.