Moira, 52, from London, has been awarded 100 times her original offer after suffering a horrendous fall at a Waitrose zebra crossing in West Ealing last summer.
We secured £4,500 for Moira after she rejected her original offer of a £40 voucher from Waitrose, when she initially fell. The incident caused serious abrasions to her knees and elbows and triggered a whiplash injury, causing months and months of back and neck pain, impacting day to day life. It has taken only until this summer for Moira to have restored full confidence after being shocked and shaken by the incident.
The fall was caused by a strap designed to hold together stacks of newspapers and magazines. The strap, which was abandoned on the zebra crossing, looped around her shoe (actually cutting the shoe) causing her to fall to the ground. While fellow shoppers rushed to help, Waitrose were slow to the rescue and eventually the health and safety officer turned up on crutches.
Moria suffered a car accident in 2017 and had such a bad experience from her lawyers at the time, she had lost all faith in the sector. Her recent experience with Bott and Co could not have been any different, surpassing all expectations.
She says,”Bott and Co has restored my faith in the legal system. They managed to win £4,500 – 100 times my original offer – so I’m extremely grateful to them for fighting on my behalf.”
A Nasty Fall
It was just another ordinary day for Moria, who had just bought some plants from her local Waitrose and was carrying them to the car. However, as she crossed the zebra crossing outside the Ealing store, a loose strap, used to wrap-around and secure newspaper and magazine stacks looped around her shoe, which sent her flying.
Moira explains: “As I was carrying a basket of plants, I was unable to put my hands out to supporting me during the fall, so the impact was much worse. Other customers approached to help me and finally the Waitrose health and safety officer came out to see me but they were on crutches.
After the accident, Waitrose offered me a £40 voucher but I was too shaken to even think straight and also looking back they didn’t know what my long term side effects would be. I’m very pleased I didn’t take the voucher as the injuries were significant!
Fortunately I was wearing a denim jacket which protected me a bit – if I hadn’t worn this there would have been blood everywhere!” she continues.
State Of Shock And Serious Abrasions
As well as being in a state of shock and shaken, Moira sustained injuries for many months after the fall. The incident caused serious abrasions to her knees and elbows and triggered a whiplash injury, causing months and months of back and neck pain, impacting day to day life. It has taken only until this summer for Moira to have restored full confidence after being shocked and shaken by the incident.
Difficulty With Day To Day Activities
Moira suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, which was exasperated after the accident. She said: “The first month after the accident, I couldn’t do regular day to day activities and my sister had to do the grocery shopping, housework, cook meals, take out the dog for a walk etc. I couldn’t lift anything heavy so it really impacted life. I also had a lot of neck and shoulder pain so I became very low as a result.
She was due to take a long weekend break in York not long after the fall but it was ruined because she was still in so much pain and experiencing stiffness in her neck and shoulders. She had to spend most of her time indoors rather than enjoying the historic sights of York.
Thankfully, today I’m better but it has taken a long time to properly recover from this and I still suffer with stiffness in my neck from time to time.” She continues.
£40 Food Voucher Offer
After the fall, Waitrose offered Moira a £40 voucher to spend in the store. Moira rejected the offer on the grounds she did not know what her long-term impact would be. The supermarket bounced back with a £450 voucher, which again was declined.
Desperately Seeking a PI Law Firm
Moira decided to seek legal advice and googled PI law firms, where she discovered Bott and Co. After seeking legal advice, Waitrose came back with another offer of £2,500, which M declined on the advice of the law firm, which helped secure £4,500. This is 100 times the amount originally offered.
“Bott and Co has restored my faith in the legal system. They managed to win £4,500 – 100 times my original offer – so I’m extremely grateful to them for fighting on my behalf.”
After the fall I was traumatised and shaken so I didn’t want any more stress. They completely took the stress out of the whole process. They were efficient, professional, communicated regularly and succeeded in their fight against Waitrose.”
Mistrust Of Law Firms… Until Now
Several years ago, Moira experienced significant injuries after a car crash. She employed a law firm which was below par to say the least and left her with a dim view of legal businesses.
She explains, “A few years ago I had a pretty bad car crash where someone ran into the back off my car whilst stationary at a crossing. I suffered whiplash, which my fall triggered again. My experience with this law firm was dire. I went through five file handlers. They never updated me on the case – I had to chase them constantly and I eventually ended up complaining to the ombudsman. I was a bit cynical before I approached Bott and Co but they surpassed all expectations. It just shows, not all law firms are created equal!”
Bott and Co has restored my faith in the legal system. They managed to win £4,500 – 100 times my original offer – so I’m extremely grateful to them for fighting on my behalf.
Sound Advice After The Fall
Now that Moira has returned to life as normal and can look after her dog Jess, life is brighter again. Some of the funding secured will go towards pilates classes which will help with the stiffness caused from the injuries.
In conclusion, Moira is keen for other people to be correctly compensated if they go through a nasty accident. She says, “My advice for people who go through something similar is not to accept the first offer as you may not know what your long term effects could be. Consult with a good lawyer. A bad one will cost you much more stress.”