Andrea suffered a serious injury after being involved in a head on collision whilst driving. Here she shares her moving story, talking about the accident and the injuries it caused both physically and mentally. Andrea also talks about how she found working with the personal injury team at Stephensons to pursue a claim for compensation.

For more information about the personal injury team at Stephensons and how we can help please click the link below. You can also call us on 0333 323 3760 for some free initial advice if you would like to begin a claim for compensation following an accident.

For more information about the personal injury team at Stephensons please click the link below:

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Video transcript

I decided that the year coming up, I was going to change my life and do different things. I was going to visit a friend for a long weekend and that's what I did in January. On my way back from that is when I had the accident. It was a sunny afternoon, it was lovely. This car came around the brow of the hill and I saw him. I thought, "oh he's seen me" because he popped out. And I went, "he hasn't gone back in again. He's headed straight towards me. And there's nowhere for me to go." Those were my thoughts and then it went bang.

The police arrived, the ambulance crew arrived, and the next thing a helicopter was landing and they took the top of the car off. I don't know how they got me out of the car. I honestly have no memory of being transferred. I think someone came and said I'd fractured both ankles and the right ankle had flesh and bone scooped out. So put the fixators in to stabilize the bones immediately, to look and decide what they would want to do. Their next thing was to put me in what they call, it's like a cage. I could wear ... That was a minimum of nine months to two years, I could be in this cage.

I was in hospital for four months and two different hospitals. My daughter-in-law worked at Stephensons. She'd gone in as an intern and she said, "Andrea, do you want me to talk to our accident department?" I said yes, but I gave over my authority for her to do it, because I couldn't think about it. I didn't want to think about it. When I came out of hospital after the four months, my daughter-in-law said it was time, Andrea, you start engaging with Stephensons yourself. I didn't like it, because I had to do it, because I didn't want to. I wanted this all just to happen without me doing anything. That's how I felt about it.

I think initially, I answered an email from Cecilia, who was my case manager. I only wanted to give the minimum and then get away from it, and forget about it, which is what we did initially. We then started having a few more conversations. I felt that they kept on top of things. She would ring periodically, or she would say, "call me," and we would have a conversation. "Where are you now? How are you doing? What's happening? How are you progressing?" But at no time, ever, with anybody, did I feel I was an inconvenience or I was just a money machine for them. I felt that they were working on my behalf to get the best outcome for me, for my future.

The compensation, bless it, it's fine, but there's not an amount of money in the world that can get me back what I had. I've got plans for it, for my retirement, so when ... it took the sting out of being retired.

Friends who've talked to me about Stephensons and the solicitors and my experience with them, and I've said yes, use them. I found it efficient. I found that they were engaged and they made it happen. I really felt she was on my side and she was working my case, because I honestly didn't know what I needed, and they guided it and got me there. I felt safe, and yes, I would certainly recommend them.

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