A father-of-three injured in a head-on car collision on a busy Cornish road has successfully secured compensation with the backing of Unite Legal Services.
Nick Brancher, 37, of Saltash in Cornwall was hit by an oncoming car which careered from the other side of the A38 in Glynn Valley.
The driver responsible for the road traffic accident had swerved from the westbound carriage, hitting two other cars before colliding, at 50mph, head-on with Nick’s seven-seater vehicle.
The maintenance team leader had dropped his nine-year-old daughter off just minutes before the crash, which left him with extensive bruising to his ribs, neck pain and a fracture to his right elbow.
Nick was able to return to work on light duties two days after the accident but couldn’t enjoy his hobbies such as Ju Jutsu, climbing, kayaking and cycling for months.
Nick said: “The other driver had lost control and hit two other cars before we collided head-on, it all happened so fast. I‘m just very grateful my daughter wasn’t in the vehicle with me.
“It took around two weeks for the soft tissue injuries to fully manifest themselves and fortunately my employer allowed me to work flexible hours and on light duties until I’d recovered enough to resume my normal role.”
After the accident, Nick contacted Unite Legal Services to investigate a claim for compensation.
He said: “I’ve been a member of Unite for around 14 years and the support and advice I received from Unite Legal Services after my accident was excellent. Even though my accident wasn’t work-related I was still able to claim for compensation, which is very reassuring and proved a big help to me and my family.”
Rob Miguel, regional officer at Unite’s Plymouth office, said: “Our member sustained a series of injuries because a driver wasn’t concentrating. The level of injuries could have been far worse, but nevertheless the accident was still a serious one and went on to affect our member’s life for months after the crash.
“Unfortunately there are too many reports of avoidable accidents like Nicholas’ where a moment’s lapse in concentration can lead to serious consequences on our roads.”
