British Cycling member, Helen, was thrown from her bicycle in 2022 in a collision with a car which attempted to overtake a lorry and lost control. Helen sustained a severe brain injury, a skull fracture, collarbone fractures and fractures to her fingers.  

Helen was a keen and experienced cyclist. She was part of a local cycling club, and enjoyed cycling long distances with her husband and friends. This included cycling coast to coast, a feat which she completed just weeks before the collision. She would go on regular cruises around Europe with her husband, taking their bicycles with them to cycle around the destinations once the ship had docked. Although retired from her teaching role, she still undertook some work and cared for her young grandchildren. 

Through her British Cycling membership, Helen instructed Leigh Day to bring a claim against the driver and their insurer. Solicitors at Leigh Day secured interim payments to fund Helen’s rehabilitation, ensuring that she had access to the specialist support and therapies to rebuild her independence. Following an inpatient neurorehabilitation placement, Helen received community input from a specialist brain injury case manager, neuro-occupational therapist, neuro-physiotherapist, dietician and neuropsychologist. 

Following two years of specialist intensive therapies and with the support of her rehabilitation team and family, Helen was able to return to a good level of independence, including driving and a return to her hobby of cycling with her local club.   

Settlement was reached with the driver’s insurer and Helen was compensated for her injuries, past financial losses and to fund her future needs. 

Helen was represented by Bethany Sanders, a Partner in Leigh Day’s Personal Injury department. Her claim was supported and funded by British Cycling.