From serious injury to a fresh start

Rhiannon’s simple journey to collect her niece from school ended in serious injury and the loss of the job she loved – but with the help of a CLA member firm and quick access to rehabilitation, she was able to get her life back on track.

She was driving to the school when a van, driven too fast, came round the corner on the wrong side of the road and collided head on with her car.
It was a serious incident which left Rhiannon needing to be freed from her car by the emergency services, with the fire brigade, police, ambulance and emergency helicopter all needed at the scene.

It took an hour to free her from her badly damaged vehicle and she was then rushed to hospital with injuries including a broken leg, broken finger, severe bruising and deep laceration on her knee.

After a spell in hospital, she returned home to find just how difficult her life had become. She had to use a walking aid to move around and found it hard to sleep due to the pain, having to rely on her parents for support.

Despite her best efforts, the injuries Rhiannon had sustained made it impossible for her to return to the job she loved, running a camp site in the Yorkshire Dales. As the site was remote, she couldn’t rely on public transport and found it hard to drive after her terrifying experience with the crash.

She lost out on a chance to increase her hours and had to give up a career she had enjoyed, which also had significant financial implications.

That was when she started to receive help from CLA member firm Express Solicitors and her outlook began to look more positive. The team at Express ensured she could access specialist treatment to begin rebuilding her life and, importantly, also helped her regain the confidence to begin driving again, restoring her independence.

Rhiannon said: “The most important thing to me was just trying to get back to how I was. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own. My caseworker and the rehabilitation team were amazing, even helping me with writing a CV and looking at little things like skills to help me get a job and build up my confidence.

“Before making a claim with Express, I had only had standard therapy. So, I went back and had specialist treatment like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy [EMDR therapy] as well as a couple of driving lessons to help build up confidence.

“Since I have received compensation, I have been able to get a car and get back my independence back. It has given me the opportunity to become more me again.”