Sally is a Managing Associate in the Casualty Litigation team, specialising in catastrophic and fatal injury claims often with a Health and Safety and Regulatory element.
Sally has over 20 years' experience of advising on a broad range of civil employer's liability, public liability, road traffic, industrial disease and product liability claims involving personal injuries or fatalities and often encompassing Health and Safety and Regulatory issues.
Her particular expertise is providing advice and representation in the defence of catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents which occur to employees, contractors and sub-contractors in the workplace. This also includes advising in respect of aviation claims as well as advising clients in local government, retail, construction, commercial and public transport sectors.
She has a wide ranging experience of handling civil litigation, particularly fatal accident and catastrophic injury claims, including brain and spinal injury claims, psychological and somatisation disorders and occupational stress and industrial disease claims and regularly advises in relation to fraud/fundamental dishonesty claims, conscious and subconscious exaggeration claims, pain management syndromes and claims involving complex causation of injuries.
She is highly regarded for her extensive experience of defending both private and public sector clients in relation to criminal proceedings and in interviews under caution, and also provides advice to clients who are subject to investigation by the police and Health and Safety Executive for breaches of Health and Safety legislation and regularly attends Inquests and Pre Inquest Review hearings and also has experience of attending criminal Plea and Case Management and Sentencing hearings.
Sally also works with the Commercial and Insurance Recovery claims team at Womble Bond Dickinson to seek subrogated recovery of outlay on behalf of Insurers against potentially liable third parties following fire, flood and other insurable risks. She also provides practical advice, training and regularly presents at seminars to clients within the Insurance, manufacturing and retail sectors.
Experience
Examples of experience include advising:
- A large UK airport in the defence of a fatal incident to a contractor working airside and which encompassed a high value civil claim, regulatory proceedings and arguments arising under the Human Rights Act
- A national contractual client in connection with a fatal accident involving their Employee in the workplace, and advising in respect of complex issues arising from the subsequent HSE investigations and civil claim
- A Highways Authority in respect of the duty of care owed to road users following a civil claim for fatal injuries arising from a catastrophic road traffic collision
- A public body in respect of catastrophic internal injuries sustained by a member of the public
- A London public transport company and their driver at a Jury Inquest and subsequent civil claim following an incident where a passenger suffered fatal injuries after walking behind a reversing vehicle
- A pharmaceutical manufacturer in the defence of a product liability claim which was alleged to have caused injuries.
