Our client was badly injured in a cycling accident in 2019 when he fell from his bicycle due to a dangerous pothole in the road surface. He instructed Porter Wood Law in 2020 when he realized he may have may claim against the council for failing to maintain the road. Porter Wood agreed to act on a no win no fees basis and submitted a claim to the council.

The council rejected the claim as it claimed it inspected the road on a monthly basis and the pothole was not present at the time of their last inspection. The client was advised to commence court proceedings as we believed there were serious flaws in the council’s inspection records.

Court proceedings were commenced in 2022 but due to court backlogs the claim was eventually listed for trial in July 2024. Shortly before trial the council’s solicitors advised that they would be alleging that the client’s claim was dishonest at trial and would claim thousands of pounds in costs from him if the case were unsuccessful and invited him to discontinue. The Claimant was advised to continue in spite of the pressure being applied by the council. He had been advised to make a sensible commercial offer shortly after starting court proceedings which would later prove to have a significant effect on the amount of compensation awarded to him.

At trial the client was vigorously cross examined by the council’s barrister but his truthful account of the accident, combined with the skillful advocacy of our barrister persuaded the judge to find in his favour and award him significant compensation. As the client achieved a better outcome than his own offer to settle, he was awarded thousands of pounds in extra compensation and interest.

If you have been unfortunate enough to have suffered a road traffic accident or other accident due to poorly maintained roads, pavements or premises, do not hesitate to call us to see if we could pursue a no win no fee claim on your behalf.