Mrs H had been out for the evening with her husband and friends and called City Taxis to get a cab to take them home.

Graysons’ personal injury specialist, Belinda Lancaster, has won over £3,000 for Sheffield resident Mrs H, who was injured in a road traffic accident.

‘Rollercoaster’ taxi ride ends in accident

The taxi driver picked them up and took them home – a journey that was rather like a roller coaster according to the passengers who all said that the driver seemed to be in quite a hurry.  The driver stopped the car opposite Mrs H’s house, meaning she had to get out of the car into the road.  Her husband got out of the car slowly, being disabled, and Mrs H said her goodbyes to her friends whilst getting out.  Before she was able to fully get out of the car, the taxi driver started to drive away and Mrs H fell into the road hurting herself.  Her husband shouted for the taxi driver to stop and asked him to report the incident to City Taxis, but he refused.  He also refused to give any name, other than Ali.

Mrs H reported the incident to a supervisor at City Taxis herself and was given the driver’s number and told to report the incident to the police – which she did.

The next day, Mrs H visited her GP as she had been in pain all night.  She had to take painkillers for 2 months and was left with back pain for more than 18 months.

Mrs H felt that she had suffered through no fault of her own and contacted Graysons to pursue a compensation claim.

Belinda sues taxi driver

Belinda Lancaster

Mr Ali’s insurers did not accept liability for the accident and Belinda, who is a partner at Graysons and specialises in road traffic accidents, took the case to court.  The defendant made claims that the passengers threatened to throw his keys over a wall and made comments such as ‘that’s the holiday in Spain paid for’ – all of which Mrs H and her friends deny.  The judge agreed that the driver had been responsible for the accident and awarded compensation to Mrs H.

Compensation unlikely if government changes PI compensation rules

Belinda says “If the government goes ahead with its planned changes to claiming personal injury compensation this year, i.e.

• Raising the small claims limit for personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000, which means that claims of less than £5,000 will be transferred to the small claims court and solicitor fees will not be recoverable – leaving some injured people with no legal help or support, an
• Removing the right to compensation for ‘minor’ soft tissue injuries (includes whiplash)

We would not be able to help with cases such as Mrs H’s.”

Legal help needed no matter what the value of the case

Mrs H says that she was very pleased to have had Belinda’s help her with her case.  She dealt with it quickly and was personable and relaxed.  She doesn’t agree with the proposed changes, saying they would be unfair in her case as the accident was not her fault.  She says that she had always been somewhat sceptical herself about people making compensation claims, wondering if they are all genuine.  However, considering her own experience and having been left with an injury, she believes she is entitled to the compensation and that she would not have been able to achieve it without the help and support of a solicitor.

If you feel that the government’s proposed changes are unfair and that victims of accidents and injury should be able to claim compensation and obtain legal assistance, and you would like to voice your opinion, please sign the petition.

Graysons will continue to help victims of personal injury claims wherever possible so please do contact our specialist team now if you need help. Please read more about road traffic accidents on our website