Karen Smith, Senior Paralegal & Dunfermline Office Manager, Bonnar Law

Senior Paralegal & Dunfermline Office Manager

Karen was born and went to school in Dunfermline, a wee while ago.
She is the senior Paralegal in the Dunfermline office and joined the firm when we opened the Fife branch 12 years ago. Karen is also the Litigation Support & Office Manager, working closely with Julian Hanrahan, the managing solicitor.

Experience

Karen started her working life in the General Accident claims department dealing with a variety of claims such as motor; home; travel; personal accident and public liability.
After working through the grades there for 6 years, she joined Henderson Boyd Jackson Solicitors in Edinburgh, as an Assistant Claims Manager in their Uninsured Loss Recovery Department, specialising in motor claims for 9 years.

Slip in fast food restaurant - Head and back injuries

Frances Forbes slipped on a slippery floor on her way back from the bathroom whilst visiting a fast food restaurant. She sustained head and back injuries. Whilst her husband accompanied her, she also obtained the telephone numbers of two independent witnesses who were there. Karen managed to obtain statements from these witnesses who confirmed the condition of the floor. The Environmental Health Department were also involved and who acknowledged that the floor was slippery when they went to investigate and that was possibly down to their cleaning product and or/procedures.

France’s case was settled at £3500.

Slips, Trips and Falls

Bus passenger accident - Broken wrist

Jacqueline McLeod was a passenger on a bus when she was involved in an accident sustaining a nasty break to her wrist which required an operation. She was dealing with the bus company’s insurers direct and had received an offer to settle in the sum of £2,000. She came to us looking for advice and Karen explained that apart from compensation for the physical injury; there were also other heads of claim to take into account such as a spoilt holiday; assistance she needed from her family/a claim for the assistance she was unable to provide them, as she was the main source of child care for her grandchildren. Not only should compensation reflect the injury at the time but any future affects and to value a claim properly, an independent orthopaedic report is required to comment on this. Jacqueline’s case was settled at £20,000.

Jacqueline’s case was settled at £20,000.

Wrist Injury

Accident in Car Park - Knee and arm injuries

Naomi Livingston sustained injuries whilst removing her baby twins from the car, in retail park car park. Her foot went down a missing grate and she fell, landing awkwardly trying to protect her baby. The shops in the retail park themselves are not responsible for the maintenance of the car park. However, Naomi had reported the accident to the local store she was visiting. In our quest to find supporting evidence, Karen obtained a copy of their accident report. This also supplied her with the name of the person completing the report and she was able to ascertain that the matter had been reported to the managing agents a month prior to Naomi’s accident. With these types of claims, it is insufficient just to prove that there is hazard but also how long the hazard was there for and that they were aware of it and took no action.

Settlement was agreed at £4000.

Knee Injury Arm Injury

Karen Smith

Senior Paralegal & Dunfermline Office Manager

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Karen Smith

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Karen’s Recent Cases

Slip in fast food restaurant - Head and back injuries

Bus passenger accident - Broken wrist

Accident in Car Park - Knee and arm injuries