Novum Law, the national firm specialising in serious injury and medical negligence with an office in Bath, has won a £4m High Court settlement for a young Wiltshire man after an eight-year legal battle.
Paul Vallance suffered a serious brain injury following a head-on car crash on a country road near Swindon when he was 18. The severe traumatic injury to the frontal lobe of his brain left him with serious communication problems, behavioural difficulties and anger management issues. 
He was unable to return to his job as a trainee manager at Membury motorway services and has not been able to sustain any kind of paid employment for any length of time due to the severity of his condition and his inability, through no fault of his own, to exercise self-control and use appropriate language.
Paul’s car insurance provider appointed non-specialist solicitors to handle a compensation case but little progress was made because they failed to understand the extent and severity of the damage to Paul’s brain and did not put in place the vital rehabilitation support and care package he needed to cope.
The case was further complicated when the defendant’s medical team dismissed the serious, debilitating damage to his brain as just a ‘mild head injury’ despite the fact that he was having trouble with his speech and presenting severe behavioural problems including aggression.
As Paul’s case stalled and with no professional support in place to care for his needs, his mother Tina Collins realised they needed help urgently. A friend recommended Novum Law, to fight their corner to help Paul gain access to specialist rehabilitation, care and support needed to help him cope on a day-to-day basis.
Novum partner and specialist brain injury lawyer Huw Ponting, pictured, and his team set up a community-based support package including sourcing suitable accommodation and engaging the support of an experienced case manager and support workers to care for Paul. In 2012, the firm persuaded the court to compel the defendant’s insurers to fund a long-term residential rehabilitation programme with a specialist provider in the North West capable of dealing with challenging behaviours.
Huw Ponting said: “The collision has had a significant impact on Paul’s life and family. A whole eight years on from the accident, he continues to suffer from the effects of the severe traumatic brain injury he sustained, affecting all aspects of his life.
“For a young man to be faced with the prospect of never being able to work again or live independently without support is unimaginable. We are thrilled to have secured justice for Paul which will help finance the specialist care and support that he will need for the rest of his life.
“Serious brain injuries cause huge disruption to the lives of both the injured individual and their loved ones. Paul and his mother’s experiences highlight the importance of getting advice from a specialist personal injury solicitor from the outset who is experienced in the complex challenges of life-changing brain injury cases to ensure that victims get the much-needed compensation they are entitled to.
“Last year, research from the Financial Services Authority revealed that personal injury claimants who take legal advice from a solicitor rather than accept an insurer’s compensation offer, receive on average three times more. It is vital that individuals who suffer life-changing injuries get the recompense they are entitled to in order to access the support they need.”
