Back injury after fall from horse
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The client enrolled at the defendant's riding school as an adult riding pupil. She was a novice rider with no real previous experience, and wanted to learn to ride so that she could share a hobby with her daughter.
After a number of lessons she was finding it very difficult to learn how to canter. The instructor flicked the lunge whip at the horse to encourage it to canter, causing the horse to drop its head, throwing Mrs X to the floor. The defendant disputed the client's version of events, and denied all responsibility for the accident, stating that it was simply an accident, and that Mrs X simply lost her balance and fell from the horse.
The Judge accepted our client's account of the accident, and agreed that the instructor had used poor judgement in flicking the whip at a horse with a novice rider on board. It was this lack of judgement by the instructor which had caused the client to fall and not her own inexperience. Even though riding is a risk sport, the client was entitled to expect a reasonable level of care and skill from the riding school, which had not been provided on this occasion.
What did we do?
Access Legal from Shoosmiths was appointed to advise the client on her claim and to recover compensation for her injuries and loss of earnings.
We obtained evidence from an independent expert to comment on the teaching methods used by the riding instructor and the use of the lunge whip during the riding lessons. Despite the defendant denying liability for the accident, we took the case through to its conclusion, including instructing a senior barrister to represent the client at trial.
After hearing the evidence, the Judge agreed that the standard of tuition provided by the riding instructor was below an acceptable level. The client was awarded significant compensation for her injury and financial losses.
Who dealt with the case?
This case was handled by associate Philip Baldwin, a personal injury department Team Leader based at our Northampton office. With more than 10 years' experience dealing with claimant and defendant personal injury claims, Philip is also responsible for Access Legal from Shoosmiths' Law Society-accredited Connect2Law personal injury training programme.
Client testimonial
"I found Philip Baldwin approachable, efficient and professional during the preparation stages. During the trial he was supportive, realistic and a really nice guy. I would highly recommend him. My Barrister, Simon, was also excellent, and I can't thank the team enough for everything."
