Brain injury works in mysterious ways and should never be underestimated, as was proven in the case that has been published in most of the national newspapers this week of a 26 year old man who was injured in a head on collision in 2006 displays.
Paul Vallance suffered a serious brain injury at the age of 18 when another driver lost control of their vehicle and smashed into his car. After spending 19 days in hospital following his accident, he was deemed fit to return home by doctors and begin recovery from a broken leg, shoulder and nose.
But these weren’t the only things that Mr Vallance was forced to confront following his release. He also suffered from bouts of amnesia and lost his ability to speak and would often be confused.
All standard signs of brain injury that were overlooked by the insurance companies when then first came to deal with his compensation claim months afterwards.
The problems didn’t cease there for Mr Vallance as he began to suffer from bouts of aggression. He struggled to string sentences together, but often when he did, they would be abusive.
It was these aggressive outbursts that made it increasingly difficult for him to hold down work and he was regularly fired for his sudden bursts of anger.
The problem was not that Mr Vallance was an angrily natured man, but something more serious. The doctors had dismissed his debilitating brain damage as a mild head injury and these were the knock on effects.
It wasn’t until he took on legal representation that Mr Balance was able to get to the bottom of his injury and what was causing his behaviour to change erratically.
They were able to get him re-examined and commissioned proper brain scans to properly diagnose his injury, which revealed that he had suffered a cerebral oedema, intra-cranial hematoma and subdural haemorrhage. Anything but a ‘mild head injury’.
The case was taken to the High Court and Mr Vallance was awarded £4 million in compensation for his injury and the trauma that followed.
It goes to show just how important legal representation still is in the day and age where the Government and the insurance industry are trying to suffocate them out of the personal injury profession.
Without proper legal representation, Mr Vallance could have continued suffering, oblivious to the true nature of his injury and it could well have worsened and caused further distress to his livelihood and his loved ones.
If you have suffered in a similar way to Mr Vallance, it is important you seek help and not suffer in silence just because the original examination didn’t show anything up. Call us on 01695 712 264 to speak to our expert head and brain injury solicitor, Chris Walker, to find out how Scott Rees & Co can help you with your serious injury claim.