Kay was at her friend's house, helping to re-decorate. She was redecorating on a mezzanine floor, she had to climb a ladder belonging to the householder.
Unknown to her, the householder had moved the ladder, and when he replaced it he forgot to fix it in place properly, which meant that when she tried to go down the ladder, it collapsed causing her to fall some twelve to fifteen feet.
How we helped our client
We investigated and notified the claim. Liability was accepted early by the insurers of the householder. Quantifying the claim however was more difficult. This was due to Kay's pre-accident medical history. As a result of the fall, she suffered broken vertebrae, depression and respiratory problems. We required to instruct reports from:-
- an orthopaedic consultant
- respiratory consultant
- consultant psychiatrist
Once we had ingathered all the medical evidence, and had this approved by Kay, we attempted to negotiate a settlement for her. However, this wasn't possible and so we raised a court action. The claim settled shortly after we raised proceedings.
Settlement
A figure of £35,000 was agreed.
Testimonial
Kay said, "I was pleased with the way Lindsays dealt with my claim and they arranged an immediate needs assessment shortly after my accident. I was happy with the compensation agreed on my behalf."