A powerful short film about how a hit-and-run victim from Bognor suffered life-changing injuries has earned a top award for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
Rusty’s Story, produced as part of APIL’s flagship Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign, has won an Association Excellence Award in the ‘best blog, podcast or video’ category.
The film tells the true story of Rusty Brown, who had to have his leg amputated following a head-on collision.
“Rusty tells people first-hand how crucial the law is in helping people if they are injured,” said APIL chief executive Mike Benner.
“Rebuilding Shattered Lives aims to make sure the needs of people, like Rusty, who suffer injuries because of the negligence or recklessness of others, are at the centre of any policymaking which affects their access to full and fair compensation,” he went on.
“Rusty explains how the other insurance company initially suggested that the crash was “nothing to do with them”, even though the other driver was eventually jailed,” Mike explained. “But with the help of his solicitor, he secured an early ‘interim’ payment for a prosthetic limb that fitted properly. The NHS one he was originally given caused excruciating pain and he couldn’t stand on it for more than a few minutes.
“What happened to Rusty could happen to any one of us. He was just going about his day when he became a victim of someone else’s negligence,” Mike added.
“APIL is very proud to land this award and extremely grateful to Rusty for his candour in showing just how vital it is that injured people can turn to the law on personal injury for support,” he added.
The film was produced on a small budget with the help of Andrew Clarke from Black Hawk Productions in Nottingham. APIL is a national organisation, based in Lenton in Nottingham, whose members are committed to protecting the rights of victims of negligence.
Mike accepted the award at a ceremony in London on Friday 7 November. The Association Excellence Awards celebrate the work associations, trade bodies, professional organisations and chartered institutes do for and on behalf of their members.
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