NewLaw helps Sheerness man jump from 13,000 feet after losing leg

A Sheerness man has completed his first sky-dive – just four months after losing his leg in a motorcycle accident and partly thanks to NewLaw.

Daniel Hughes, 21, was involved in the accident on 7 April this year, when he was hit by a car on Trinity Road at the junction with Strode Crescent.

He sustained severe fractures to his right leg, ligament damages and crush injuries to his ankle. The damage to his right leg was so serious that two weeks later he underwent a below-knee amputation.

Daniel is suing for damages for his injuries through his lawyers NewLaw. His case is being managed by Lisa Samuel, a personal injury specialist, and she suggested he should undergo rehabilitation while legal proceedings take their course.

She also approached the other driver’s insurers, Direct Line, to suggest that they pay for the treatment as part of a joint approach to ensure that Daniel obtained the best treatment as early as possible.

Liability has not yet been admitted whilst all parties await the outcome of police investigations.

It was while discussing his rehabilitation with PACE, a specialist company in working with amputees, that Daniel was told of plans to organize a sky-dive. Though he had hardly begun his rehabilitation, he jumped at the chance.
So it was that one morning in September Daniel found himself one of six amputees plummeting 13,000 feet above the Nottinghamshire countryside.

His colleagues recall that his first comment on landing was: ‘That was incredible! I want to do another one straight away!’

Daniel’s enthusiasm has not yet subsided. He is still excited at memories of the jump, and he is already planning another.
‘I was so fortunate in having people who were supportive and who understood what was needed to inspire me to take on a challenge like this,’ he says.

‘I was determined not to feel sorry for myself but to get on with life, and the skydive was exactly what I was looking for.
‘Lisa at NewLaw was the one to stress that I needed rehabilitation quickly, and she knew about PACE, the company who undertook it and who organized the skydive.
‘PACE have been marvellous at providing me with treatment but also in matching my motivation, since most of them are amputees too and can truly empathize with my position.

‘But at the heart of it was Direct Line, who weren’t even my insurers. They insured the other driver in the accident, but they were persuaded by Lisa’s arguments and prepared to finance my treatment.

‘Without them none of this could have happened. It just shows what can be done when people work together to achieve something.’

Daniel is now so confident that he is already looking to return to his job as a sheet metal worker.