When solicitors must become detectives

–In this case, a woman was a passenger on a bus and all she could remember was that the bus had to brake suddenly to avoid a collision.

She understood that a blue car was involved but had fled the scene, and was thrown from her seat onto the floor where she sustained injuries. She was understandably very shaken.

She contacted the bus company and they advised that their driver had to take evasive action. They told her that the vehicle registration number of the other car involved was not visib le on the CCTV footage.

Rules of the road

Sensibly, the lady contacted us and we were able to obtain a copy of this CCTV footage. It showed the bus was stationary at red traffic lights in the left hand lane. The blue car was stationary in the right hand lane, however, this lane was only to be used by vehicles turning right.

When the lights turned to green the bus proceeded straight ahead as allowed. However, the blue car also tried to drive straight on and squeezed in front of the bus. Had the bus driver not quickly applied his brakes, a collision was inevitable ...

The driver of the blue car, seemingly unaware of what had happened, continued with his journey.

Investigations

Having carefully studied the footage, we were able to make out the registration number of the car, although it was not easy. With some investigation work, we were able to confirm the registration number that we had noted was indeed correct, and we were able to locate the insurers.

The driver initially denied any involvement in the accident but, after reviewing the CCTV footage, liability was admitted.

Injuries

Our client suffered an aggravation of a pre-existing neck and lower back problem of five to six months, soft tissue injuries to multiple sites for three months and a soft tissue injury to her ankle – expected to recover within 20 months of the accident. We successfully obtained her £5,000 in compensation.

This is just one reason why you should instruct experience, dedicated solicitors for personal injury matters. Not only do we have a great team of solicitors who stop at nothing, but they would make pretty good detectives too!

Tilly Bailey & Irvine take pride in helping others. If you require legal support, contact our specialist team of Teesside solicitors at Tilly Bailey & Irvine Law Firm on 01429 350062 for a no-win, no-fee claim. We have offices in Hartlepool , Stockton-on-Tees, Wynyard and Barnard Castle.