A teacher who spent her 30th birthday in an operating theatre and Christmas in hospital away from her young daughter has finally been able to recover her losses, despite her former representatives stating that the case was worth little more than £1,000.

The victim may have been injured in a seemingly minor road traffic accident, but the collision caused complicated spinal symptoms that her previous solicitors, based in the north of England, failed to appreciate. She then contacted Ansons Solicitors to obtain a second professional opinion.

Ansons assumed conduct of the case in 2009 and commenting on this, personal injury solicitor Adam Penn said: “When I reviewed the case, I suspected that something was wrong and it was clear that the case had not been given sufficient consideration. It had been branded as a run-of-the-mill whiplash case by her representatives. Little care and effort had been invested in listening to the victim or providing her with any additional help.

“My client felt let down and isolated. She was angry as she felt it was bad enough spending Christmas in hospital away from her daughter without her insurer’s lawyers stating that her condition was not related to the accident. No-one was prepared to listen to her but she decided that she had to obtain a second opinion and chose Ansons because she knew that she could have a free initial consultation and see a solicitor face-to-face, something she had been denied by her previous representatives.

“I believed that complications had arisen with her injuries due to the collision. The case relied on obtaining independent medical evidence from three specialist consultants – her previous lawyers had obtained a single report from a GP.”

The case concluded last month and the victim received a five figure settlement – more than ten times the sum her previous representatives initially advised.

Mr Penn concluded: “This case demonstrates the importance of obtaining legal advice from an independent solicitor. Insurance companies often look to force claimants to use their own in-house lawyers, but this means that a victim will seldom meet their representative in person and this case is a stark reminder of the problems that that can cause. She was ignored and treated like a ‘number’. Fortunately, we were able to make a difference.”