We have recently won a local man’s sports accident claim after his London solicitors failed to get anywhere with it. After switching to Slee Blackwell we were able to secure him an award of compensation for the injuries he suffered in a game of cricket.
Our client, a Devon man, was fielding in a cricket match. He went to catch a high ball and landed on his knees in close proximity of the wicket and crease. Obscured by the grass was a large, rusty rectangular metal plate built into the pitch to cover a stopcock. The edge of the metal plate was sharp and as he slid along the pitch, his knee hit the edge of the plate causing a deep laceration across the front of his knee.
He originally instructed a London based firm of solicitors, but soon transferred to Slee Blackwell when those lawyers were unable to make any progress with his claim which was being vigorously defended by the insurance company. He chose Slee Blackwell on the basis of a recommendation from another satisfied client who was also from Devon.
We argued that the cricket pitch should have been reasonably safe for the people using it. It was likely that players would be moving at speed and the pitch needed to be free from hazards which could either cause a player to trip, or had sharp edges that could cut any player who fell onto it. The presence of the metal plate with a sharp edge clearly breached this principle in our view.
As a result of the submissions we put forward the insurance company backed down. They were forced to accept fault on their part for the accident and agreed to compensate the cricketer for his sports accident claim.
Our client was examined by local orthopaedic and plastic surgeons who concluded that he was likely to suffer permanent scarring. He also experienced difficulty kneeling and the area of scarring remained sensitive. The insurance company agreed he should be compensated for the scarring and on-going symptoms and a settlement package was negotiated without the need for court proceedings to be commenced.