“I’m not an ambulance chaser, I actually care.”

When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I’m a personal injury solicitor, they often call me an ambulance chaser, but I’m not. I specialise in personal injury because I want to help people affected by injuries. 

It’s frustrating that people perceive my job in a negative light.  I realise that the adverts for injury claims are irritating and that newspapers sensationalise stories of seemingly unfair compensation awards however, until you’ve been affected by an injury, you can’t really appreciate the difference a well managed claim can be for your future. 

Thirteen years ago, when I met my husband, I quickly came to realise what can happen to your life when you suffer an injury.  At 23, he was the innocent victim of an unprovoked criminal attack.  He was stabbed and is now blind in his left eye.  Losing 50% of your sight is bad enough, however he was training to be a Royal Navy pilot and his job depended on his vision.  Despite attempts to save his military career he was medically discharged and that was that.  Years of dedication and hard work were shattered in a split second. 

After you recover from the physical injury, it’s not easy to just walk into a new career and start paying the bills again.  Previous qualifications aren’t always relevant and a permanent disability can restrict your options.   

For many people affected by a life changing injury, not making a claim is not an option. 

There are many benefits of instructing the right specialist solicitor for you.  The period after an injury is a distressing and stressful time.  To make a claim, you have to tell a stranger about your financial and medical situation. A compassionate, knowledgeable and understanding solicitor makes this process much easier.   

Thanks to the help of a good solicitor, my husband received enough compensation to enable him to go back to University for three years and retrain.  It wasn’t enough to make up for what he had lost but it certainly opened up his options.  So now he is a personal injury barrister specialising in helping those who have suffered serious life changing injuries like he did.  It’s not as exhilarating as flying but it’s a very worthwhile job helping others and it doesn’t leave either of us any time to chase ambulances!

Sarah Tawse, Solicitor at Wolferstans.