Motorcyclist receives £140,000 settlement after 21 surgeries

The Incident

On 2nd June 2016, motorcyclist, Mark Buckley was involved in a road traffic accident.
Mark was travelling home from work on Rochdale Road, about 4:30 in the afternoon, when the third-party vehicle pulled out of a side road and proceeded straight into his path.
As a result of the unexpected collision, Mark was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary by paramedics. Unfortunately, due to the damage sustained to Mark’s left leg, the resulting injuries could not be treated quickly.

Over the next three years the 34-year-old was treated at both Wythenshawe and Trafford hospital for:

• Open fracture of his left tibia
• A fracture of his left femur with associated knee pain
• Possible left hip fracture
• Nerve pain in his left, lower leg
• Soft tissue injuries to his abdomen
• Bruising to his ribs, kidneys and back

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“Four years and 21 surgeries later, Mark
still lives with several defects.”

-Catherine Cahill

The Case

Not long after his accident, Mark contacted Fletchers for legal representation. Serious Injury Solicitors, Charlotte Mackulin and Catherine Cahill took representation of Mark’s case.

After examining the evidence in front of them, the pair quickly realised this was by no means a straightforward case. Immediately before the accident, there was a bus obscuring the third party’s vision and the third-party argued they did not see our client.
Because of this, there was an issue with liability due to the bus’s involvement and the speed mark was travelling.

The Aftermath

Four years on from the collision, Mark still lives with several defects as a result of the road traffic accident. He is still waiting on a full knee replacement because there is no cartilage behind the left kneecap, and for more than 16 months, Mark lived with a circle frame fitted to his injured left leg.

This has meant movement is rather restricted because Mark can no longer move his left knee.

In addition to this, Mark remarkably went in for surgery 21 times following the accident across both Withenshawe and Trafford hospitals.[vc_separator][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”24941″ img_size=”200×200″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”24943″ img_size=”200×200″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”24945″ img_size=”200×200″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator]

The Outcome

Mark’s case demonstrates tenacious legal work from Fletchers’ serious injury team.
Our serious injury team argued Mark was not speeding, but he had to pick up speed to filter past the vehicles he was overtaking. The court recognised had Mark been slower; the third-party may have had chance to see him.

Counsel advised that there was a 60% chance of losing the case. Despite this, Charlotte and Catherine managed to get a very good offer and 50/50 split for the client.

As a result, Mark received £140k as a settlement.

Speaking in reflection of the case, Catherine said:

“We are thrilled to be able to secure such a fantastic settlement for our client in the face of such challenging liability circumstances. We hope that he will be able to now move forward with his life and we wish him the very best for the future.”

Charlotte Mackulin and Catherine Cahill are both experienced solicitors operating within Fletchers Serious Injury’s Personal Injury department, specialists in serious personal injuries for over 30 years.