Pilot has hand amputated after head on collision with another car

Over £2 million in compensation for a woman who suffered serious injuries in car accident

Jenny was involved in a head-on collision which happened when another car crossed onto the wrong side of the road whilst overtaking.

Due to the force of the impact, Jenny’s car was thrown onto its roof. She was trapped in her vehicle, in excruciating pain, for some time before emergency services rescued her.

Jenny suffered fractures to her spine, her neck, a head injury and severe crushing injuries to her dominant right hand and fingers. Jenny has undergone multiple procedures to her injured hand and has been left with a limb which functionally was very limited and grossly disfigured.

Due to the loss of function, Jenny actively pursued an elective amputation of her hand although the surgery had not been performed at the date of settlement.There was dispute as to whether an elective amputation was reasonable and whether Jenny would definitely undergo the surgery.

At the time of the accident, Jenny worked as a Commercial Pilot. She has been unable to return to this occupation as a result of her injuries.

We obtained expert evidence as to both her prospects of working as a long haul pilot for a Middle Eastern airline and subsequent salary and on state of the art prosthetics which it is hoped will improve function, pain levels and appearance when she proceeds with the amputation. We were successful in reaching a compensation award of £2.6 million for Jenny.

Nicola Mepstead, Senior Solicitor at Potter Rees Dolan who acted for Jenny, and said:

Jenny found it incredibly difficult to cope with the injury to her hand and the loss of a job she loved.It was very satisfying to be able to get a settlement that provided her with the means of pursuing treatment that she felt would make a real difference to her quality of life.

The names and identifying details of the client have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals involved.