Defendant Personal Injury and Insurance

Ashfords' Defendant Personal Injury Team provides a fast and efficient high quality service to insurers and Defendant clients. We offer advice both before and after the issue of Court proceedings and can also produce initial assessment reports on liability or quantum prior to proceedings.

We advise on claims arising from all types of accidents, including road traffic accidents, occupier's liability, accidents at work and fatal accidents. Our team of experienced legal advisers provides support and assistance to Defendants and their insurers in a wide rage of cases in all levels of courts and at all stages of the process.

• Personal injury claims arising out of road traffic accidents (RTAs) including:
• Motorcycle accidents;
• Bicycle accidents;
• Coach accidents; and
  
• Pedestrian accidents.
• Accidents at work;
• Farm accidents;
• Fatal accidents;
• Sports injuries;
• Food poisoning;
• Defective products;
• Accidents overseas;
  
• Medical negligence claims;
• Animals act claims (claims involving horses, dogs etc);
• Claims on behalf of children;
• Claims involving the court of protection;
• Tripping and slipping accidents; and
  
• Occupational disease.
  

We offer specialist advice relating to claims against agricultural clients – for example, accidents on farms or diversified businesses, Animals Act claims and RTAs involving farm machinery.  Languages spoken at our Exeter office include German, Cantonese and Mandarin.

We also act for a variety of government agencies (e.g Highways Agency, Prison Service and Companies House) advising them in relation to employer liability and third party claims, both before and after the issue of proceedings.

Recent work handled includes:

• Defending a nuisance claim against a landowner brought by a claimant who lost control of her motorbike when it slipped on mud that she alleged came from the landowner's farm. The claim was successfully defended and the case was dismissed;
• Advising the defendant in a personal injury claim on the offer of damages to a claimant that sustained multiple injuries in an accident where liability had been admitted. Costs were agreed at £20,000 representing a one third reduction in the overall costs claimed and the costs of a detailed assessment were avoided;
• Acting for Witheridge Football club, defending a significant claim for damages brought by a football player from another club playing on a semi professional basis. The defendant adduced crucial evidence to prove that there had been no breach of duty of care towards him by the club;
• Acting for a farmer whose employee was killed whilst using a quad bike on his land. The claim was settled out of court for considerably less than the pleaded claim;
• Acting for the Defendant in a RTA involving a Fatal Accident where both liability and quantum were in dispute. The claim was settled for £37,500 against an original claim in the region of £250,000;
• Acting for the Defendant company which was a co-Defendant in a claim arising from an accident in a factory in Spain. The claim was successfully defended and the claim was withdrawn; and
  
• Successfully defended a claim against a Higher Educational College in defending a very substantial claim for damages by an ex-employee for mesothelioma.

Please click this link to view further details of these and other examples of recent work undertaken by the Defendant Personal Injury team

We are members of:

• Solicitors Regulation Authority's Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme
  
  
  

• Forum of Insurance Lawyers