I read an interesting story in the Daily Mail today. It involves a man named Mark Noble who was forced to become a wheelchair user after sustaining severe injuries in a Road Traffic Accident back in 2003, and obtained compensation in the sum of £3.4million, only for the other side to try and reclaim some £2million of the compensation they paid out.
It is reported that Direct Line insurance company had paid Mr Noble £3.4million to compensate him for his injuries, then proceeded to keep a close eye on him and when they saw that he had been able to regain some of the movement in his legs again and then took him to court to try and recover some of the compensation they paid out. However, the Judge in this case dismissed Direct Line’s attempt to regain their monies. Instead the judge stated that ‘Mr Noble was determined to walk unaided. He did not dishonestly conceal from the court or the expert witnesses his then trust state of disability, or dishonestly emphasise his disability.’
The Daily Mail reports that Direct Line insurance had hired a few private investigators to monitor Mr Noble’s movements in the hope of demonstrating that he had exaggerated his injuries and therefore should not be entitled to all of the compensation he was awarded. It was said that a neighbour had tipped them off that Mr Noble was able to walk again. Indeed, Direct Line’s private investigators did find that Mr Noble could walk, use power drills, lift weight and drive a vehicle. Mr Noble had been awarded the vast sum of over £3million not only to compensate him for his injuries but also the loss of earnings he suffered as a result of being unable to carry on with his job and for the loss of enjoyment stemming from his inability to play rugby. However, the judge in this case found that the fact that Mr Noble had regained some of his lost movement was down to his sheer will power to get back to his previous state; not because he had faked or exaggerated his injuries. As his wife said: ‘The reason he is able to walk now is because he worked really, really hard – through sheet bloody-mindedness – to get where he is today’.
If you have had an accident and you believe you may have a strong claim for compensation then get in touch with The Injury Lawyers who will be happy to give you free legal advice. If you do decide to instruct us then we can offer both a speedy and reliable service, 100% of your compensation, as well as fortnightly updates on the progress of your claim.
