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Karen Mitchell – Accident compensation solicitor
Senior accident compensation solicitor - Chelmsford
Karen is an extremely experienced accident compensation solicitor, having qualified in the 1980’s. She is now a partner and is Branch Manager for our Chelmsford office, from where she has represented clients across the entire South East region.
She wins compensation for hundreds of clients each year, ranging from relatively minor injuries, through to serious accidents resulting in catastrophic injury, amputation or even death. Her experience has included all types of personal injury whether caused by an accident or through negligence by an employer that has resulted in an employee suffering from an occupational disease.
Karen’s style and approach can best be described as pragmatic and down to earth. She has a proven track record for extremely strong and successful negotiating skills. However, she also has a no nonsense approach to litigation. If the other side refuse to accept liability for her client’s injury, or they are unwilling to negotiate an acceptable sum in compensation, she has no hesitation in issuing court proceedings in order to obtain the maximum compensation to which her client is justly entitled.
Karen’s extensive experience of road accident compensation claims includes representing clients who have been injured as a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, or were the occupant of any type of vehicle, whether they were the driver or a passenger.
Work accident compensation claims are equally diverse, and Karen has experience in representing clients who have suffered all types of work-related personal injury, such as slips, trips and falls, manual handling injuries, falls from height, and injuries caused by defective or unsafe machinery.
In addition to accidents in the workplace, Karen has represented very many clients who have developed occupational diseases through the negligence of employers. Clients who have suffered exposure to hazardous substances and who have developed diseases such as dermatitis, occupational asthma, asbestos-related diseases and other respiratory conditions.
Negligence by the employer in not providing sufficient training or protective equipment, or merely by failing to prevent excessive use of vibrating equipment, has also led to diseases such as vibration white finger, industrial deafness and other serious debilitating diseases. Karen has successfully represented clients across the wide range of occupational diseases.
Finally, yet importantly, for several years now Karen has developed an expertise in the laws governing claims for compensation for clients who have been injured through some form of action by the Police.
Karen is a member of several legal organisations including:
• APIL (
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers)
• The Law Society where she is a member of the Personal Injury Panel.
Successful accident compensation claims
Below is just a sample of the many compensation claims which Karen successfully concludes each year.
Work accident compensation claim – Fall from height
Karen represented this client when an inspection tower collapsed beneath him causing him to crash to the ground. Initially he was trapped in the debris, having landed on both hands and struck his shoulder on the adjacent wall. He was in immediate excruciating pain and the shoulder appeared to be dislocated. On arrival at hospital, he was given pain relief, including morphine injections, and his shoulder, which also had a break, was put back in place under anaesthetic.
Initially, Karen’s client returned to work on light duties but after several months, his injury and range of movement had not improved. He subsequently underwent several surgical procedures to try to correct the damage. Although he has recovered much of the normal movement, he has not made a full recovery and this has affected his ability to partake in previous sporting activities.
Karen was able to secure accident compensation for this client, although she was first forced to issue court proceedings when the other side refused to accept liability. However, before the date of the trial she was able to negotiate an acceptable sum in work accident compensation.
Work accident compensation claim – Manual handling injury
This client had suffered a severe back injury, resulting from a trapped nerve. He had been asked to collect items of domestic equipment and transport them for disposal. For this type of collection, employees would normally be provided with a sack barrow and a tail-lift vehicle. However, on the day of his accident at work, there were no tail-lift vehicles available so he and a colleague carried out the round in a normal collection truck.
This meant that not only were they forced to carry the equipment to the vehicle without the use of a sack barrow, but then had to lift it to almost head height (greater than 5’3”) in order to get it into the hopper. Over the next few days, Karen’s client began to experience worsening pain and stiffness in his back and eventually was unable to work.
Karen fought this claim for work accident compensation on the basis that her client’s employer had failed to carry out a sufficient risk assessment for this type of collection without the use of a tail-lift vehicle. Although her client had received manual handling instructions, there had been nothing relevant to this type of lifting, assuming that heavy items would use a tail-lift vehicle.
Her client has made some improvement but continues to suffer pain and restricted movement. Karen issued court proceedings when the other side’s insurers refused to negotiate an acceptable settlement. She was able to secure substantial work accident compensation for her client shortly before the trial date.
Occupational disease compensation claim – Exposure to hazardous substances
The case for this occupational disease compensation claim was complicated in that the client suffered several unrelated conditions that did not emanate from any work-related exposure. Karen was able to submit medical evidence that separated out these conditions and demonstrated that his exposure to a coolant mist, as well as oil and dust, had caused him to suffer additional symptoms and an occupational respiratory condition.
Through detailed negotiation, Karen was able to secure several thousand pounds in compensation for her client’s debilitating condition, although not before she was forced to issue court proceedings in order to bring the other side to the negotiating table. She had fought the claim on the basis that the employer had failed to provide him with a safe place of work, suspecting that the items to which her client was exposed were potentially sensitising agents.
Making an accident compensation claim
if you or a family member are suffering from an occupational disease, or you have been injured in an accident through no fault of your own, you will receive 100% of the compensation awarded if you have a valid compensation claim, and you decide to instruct Clear Answers to deal with the matter for you.
We will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for yourself. Telephone us now on 0800 783 9019 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms, and a representative will contact you as soon as possible.
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