Steven Akerman, of Brian Barr Solicitors, and Anthony Johnson, of Temple Garden Chambers, help to secure compensation for fibromyalgia sufferer.
Mrs Glenister was involved in a road traffic accident when she correctly pulled out from a T-junction and turned left onto the road when, suddenly and without warning, the Defendant reversed and collided with her vehicle.
Mrs Glenister noticed that she started to experience neck pain on the day of the accident and was initially diagnosed with whiplash. Within a week or so of the accident, she began to experience unusual sensations in her arms and legs, along with the neck pain, which continued. She went on to develop widespread symptoms of headache and facial pain, and found that her hands and wrists were painful whenever she tried to support herself on them. She was seen by a Rheumatologist, who diagnosed her with Post-Traumatic Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. Her symptoms continued to worsen, despite undergoing physiotherapy and other treatment.
Unfortunately, the fibromyalgia had become entrenched and her condition was unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. Mrs Glenister was also diagnosed with Major Depression and a Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder, which is another type of widespread pain in addition to the already diagnosed fibromyalgia.
At the time of the accident, Mrs Glenister was employed as an Enablement Support Worker, but her employment was terminated on the grounds of incapability due to ill health. Unfortunately, there is no realistic possibility of Mrs Glenister ever returning to work.
Although Mrs Glenister initially managed to muddle through as best as she could, her condition gradually deteriorated and she required a great deal of care and assistance with a wide variety of domestic tasks. Mrs Glenister also required alternative accommodation, as her home at the time of the accident did not cater to her limited mobility as a result of the accident.
The claim, however, was not straightforward. Mrs Glenister had a history of aches and pains. The Defendant tried to argue, therefore, that Mrs Glenister's symptoms were not as a result of the accident, but to these pre-existing difficulties. If this was proven, Mrs Glenister’s compensation claim would have had a very low value.
Additionally, the Defendant also tried to place a large portion of the blame for the accident on Mrs Glenister herself. They tried to argue that she was not driving safely, which contributed greatly to the accident. If proven, Mrs Glenister’s damages could have been reduced significantly to take into account for any aspect of fault on Mrs Glenister’s part.
Thankfully, Mrs Glenister appointed Brian Barr Solicitors, experts in claiming for fibromyalgia compensation, to assist with her claim and act on her behalf. The Brian Barr team were able to navigate through the difficult issues associated with the case to secure an appropriate settlement of £230,000 for Mrs Glenister to ease her suffering and compensate for the loss of quality of life she has experienced as a result of the accident.
