Case Study Involving Life-Changing Injury And International Law

In August 2014 Patricia was seriously injured in a road traffic accident in Lisbon, Portugal.

Patricia was born in Portugal and moved to the UK in 2008. At the time of her accident, she looked after for her three children and her nephew, all of whom lived with her. Patricia's daughter has a heart condition and was under the care of a specialist in Portugal. Her son has autism and epilepsy, requiring a lot of care and attention.

Prior to her accident, Patricia was in her second year of study for an HND in Health & Social Care. Her aim was to become a social worker specialising in autistic and disabled children so that she could better understand her son's condition and help other children to have the best chance in life.

In August 2014, Patricia took her daughter to Portugal for her bi-annual check-up. Patricia and her daughter used the opportunity to stay in Portugal and visit friends and family.

On the night of the accident, Patricia had met friends at a bar in Lisbon. At the end of the night, one of Patricia's friends drove the group home.

Patricia was sitting in the back seat of the car when they were overtaken by another vehicle. This startled Patricia's friend and caused her to lose control of the vehicle. Patricia recalls the car spinning and only stopping when it collided with a lamp post.

As a result of the accident, Patricia suffered a spinal cord injury.

Patricia was hospitalised in Portugal. However, she told the doctors she needed to return home to the UK, close to her children. Patricia was repatriated to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She was then transferred to the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre at RNOH Stanmore for rehabilitation, where her partner and children were able to visit. Patricia was discharged home in December 2014 and spent Christmas with her family.

Patricia's home was unsuitable for her post-accident. Patricia was wheelchair bound and it was difficult to enter the house in her wheelchair. Also, she had no access to the bedrooms or bathrooms, all of which were on the first floor. The only option was to sleep and attend to her personal hygiene in the living room with the assistance of carers. This meant that she had no privacy or quality time with her children. The local authority had no suitable housing available.

Stewarts assisted Patricia in obtaining an interim payment of £120,000 to cover her immediate rehabilitation needs, including the costs of finding a more suitable rental...