Store worker compensated after CRPS
A woman who was left with a rare and painful condition following an 'innocuous' accident at work, has received a six-figure sum of compensation in an out of court settlement.
The personal injury that the woman suffered was brought on while she was at work, and led to a condition that could affect her for the rest of her life. Due to this, the woman sought an accident claim, to compensate the injuries that she sustained.
Bob Miller, a personal injury lawyer working with a no win no fee solicitors' legal firm and specialising in work accident cases, said that although the victim's initial injury appeared relatively minor, she went on to develop Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a condition which leaves the sufferer in continuous, intense pain.
Nothing severe initially
Mr Miller described the circumstances that led to the woman's ongoing condition.
He explained: "The young woman was working as a cleaner in a supermarket when one of the store workers accidentally banged into her with a trolley laden with stock."
He also said: "The knock did not appear to have any effect on her initially, but it soon became clear that the issue has not subsided."
Mr Miller furthered: "She was struck in the back of the leg and initially thought nothing of it. But a couple of days later, she began to feel an inordinate amount of pain in her leg."
Mr Miller explained that CRPS - which is sometimes known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - is a condition whereby the pain experienced by the sufferer seems out of proportion to the severity of the injury, and gets worse rather than better over time.
Victim left in immense burning pain
Mr Miller went on to explain that, "As well as leaving the victim with an intense burning pain, the condition leads to dramatic changes in the colour and temperature of the skin over the affected body part."
He continued: "Our client in this case noticed her leg started to become unduly cold, and the area in which she'd been hit became severely discoloured, turning a mottled red and purple colour."
Doctors are still unsure what causes CRPS. In some cases it is believed the nervous system plays an important role in sustaining the pain, while another theory is that CRPS is caused by a triggering of the immune response, which leads to the symptoms of skin discoloration, altered temperature, and swelling in the affected area.
Medical tests try to analyse source of pain
Mr Miller went on to describe the conditions that the woman went through. He explained that: "[His] client was subjected to a battery of medical tests to ascertain the cause of the pain."
He concluded by saying: "She even underwent a series of injections to 'reprogramme' and even kill the nerves in her leg in an effort to relieve the agony. Although she made a full recovery from the procedure, the intense pain remained."
Following lengthy negotiations, Mr Miller helped and successfully secured a sum of £150,000 in a compensation claim for the client.
Updated on 15/03/2010