Settlement: case in progress
What Happened:
Six-year-old Mpilo* was crossing the road to help his neighbour unpack some goods. A taxi hit him and continued to drive. Mpilo suffered a severe brain injury due to the car driving over him, and his mother discovered his lifeless body on the road outside her home after arriving home from work.
My Story
Mpilo’s mother, 40, Lungelwa Stuurman, previously worked as a domestic worker.
“Mpilo was such a happy, naughty boy with so much energy. He was always playing with his friends in the street, playing soccer. Everybody in our neighbourhood knew Mpilo. The day the accident happened, Mpilo was crossing the road to help our neighbour offload items from his car for his shop.
I was walking towards my house after getting back from work when I saw people outside my house shouting, and then I saw him lying face down in the street. The people who saw the accident happen told me after the driver hit him on the body with the car, he tried to drive away, and that’s when he rode over my son’s head. It was only the passenger in the taxi who made him stop.”
The Road to Rehabilitation
“Mpilo wasn’t moving, and he had blood pouring out his ears. My husband then joined me in the street, and the shopkeeper took us all to the hospital in his car. The Red Cross Children’s Hospital doctors told us the accident had caused brain damage, and there was very little hope for him to survive. I asked God not to take my son away from me so young.
He needed an operation to put a shunt in his brain to remove water, which he will have for the rest of his life. He stayed in the intensive care unit for six weeks. I remember talking to him, trying to bring him back to us, but he didn’t even move for weeks. One day I played music to him, and that’s when he smiled, and I knew he was going to make it. I had to leave my job so that I could be with him. It was hard finding money for transport to see him.
He was moved to Groote Schuur hospital. He had to be fed through a tube; he couldn’t speak or walk and needed a nappy. He was there for two months and then moved to St. Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children for rehabilitation for another year and a half – he could only come home to visit us on weekends. His brothers missed him terribly too. “
Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer
“My husband had heard about Adendorff Attorneys Inc. from a colleague who had been in an accident. They had helped him get compensation for his injuries. It was a hard decision for me. All I really wanted was my son back as he was and to be well again, but I realised we need help from the lawyers to make a better future for him.
We contacted Adendorff Attorneys Inc., and they sent someone to meet with us. The lawyer explained how applying for a payout from the Road Accident Fund works and was so patient. I was happy to hear that I didn’t need to pay any lawyer’s fees because the money from my payout would cover the costs and the hospital bills, which were over R100 000.
When I get my payout, I want to buy a house with more room and a yard or outside place for Mpilo to play in his wheelchair. A car will also help us because getting him around in the chair is hard. I will save the rest of the money for Mpilo.
Mpilo is now 11 and in grade three. He knows he was in an accident. I’m proud of him. He hasn’t needed a nappy for the last year. His eyesight has been affected, but he is working hard to learn to read and write.”
How We Helped
Mpilo’s rehabilitation and progress were assessed by our medical expert team, which includes neurologists and orthopaedic surgeons. As a result of his severe brain injury and paralysis caused by the accident, he will not be able to seek employment as an adult.
Adendorff Attorneys Inc. pursued a claim for personal injury and consequential loss against the driver of the taxi. Personal injury attorney and director of Adendorff Attorneys Inc., James Adendorff, is working on securing a multi-million rand settlement that will enable our client to access the necessary support, therapies and equipment he will require for the rest of his life.
How Our Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
If you need some legal advice about your personal injury claim, why not contact Adendorff Attorneys Inc.? We specialise in representing injured people who have suffered from serious injury and have been left with medical bills, pain, suffering and loss of income.
