Double Amputee Can Walk Again with New Prostheses

We helped a woman who lost her both her legs after being hit by a car get specialist rehabilitation, support and prosthetic limbs so she could walk again.

Claire* was walking along the street one morning when a passing driver lost control of their vehicle and mounted the pavement.

The car hit Claire and crushed her against an adjoining wall, leaving her with truly horrendous injuries.

This included a traumatic amputation of her left leg through the knee. In fact, Claire continues to have vivid memories of lying on the pavement and seeing her left lower limb lying a short distance away.

Claire also suffered a severe crush injury to her lower right leg both above and below the knee.

Despite attempts to salvage the limb, her injuries were so severe that a surgical amputation at the knee joint had to be carried out.

Other injuries included multiple fractures to her spine, fractured ribs and a traumatic brain injury, as well as lasting psychological symptoms.

How Did the Accident Affect Claire's Life?

Before the accident, Claire had been a fit and healthy lady who enjoyed life, work and the company of her friends. She’d also been happily married to her devoted husband for many years, and they often enjoyed travelling around the world.

This meant Claire had every reason to be looking forward to her retirement and spending more quality time with her husband.

However, the accident had left her with life-changing injuries, including the loss of both of her legs.

For some time after the accident, she was encouraged to believe that she’d never be able to walk again. This was deeply depressing and contributed to her developing severe depression.

Claire also experienced phantom limb pain for a significant period of time, as well a pain in the lower back and various infections. Although her symptoms improved slightly over time, they haven’t settled fully.

In addition, Claire was diagnosed with a mild head injury, which led to her having problems with her memory.

How We Helped Claire

Our Serious Injury Solicitors agreed to help Claire claim compensation from the driver and we successfully settled out of Court in a Joint Settlement Meeting for £4 million.

We also managed to make sure that Claire received more than £1 million in interim compensation payments as the claim proceeded. This meant her urgent medical and financial needs could be met without her having to wait for the case to settle in full.

With her settlement, Claire was able to purchase and adapt her current home, and pay for ongoing care support and case management, as well as work with an orthopaedic specialist to get used to using prosthetic legs.

Thanks to the specialist support and rehabilitation treatment she has received, Claire is now able to walk around with the help of her prosthetic limbs.

*not her real name