Woman fighting for £250,000 payout over car crash loses case after she is ... trends now

Woman fighting for £250,000 payout over car crash loses case after she is ... trends now
Woman fighting for £250,000 payout over car crash loses case after she is ... trends now

Woman fighting for £250,000 payout over car crash loses case after she is ... trends now

A woman who fought for a payout following a car crash she claimed had left her disabled lost the case after she was caught undertaking a 'strenuous' four-hour waterfall walk and volunteering at a music festival. 

Claire Thomas from Merthyr Tydfil was found to have been 'fundamentally dishonest' about the injuries she sustained in a crash in 2016 after she tried to claim over  £250,000 in damages. 

The 39-year-old said she had suffered soft tissue injuries to her neck, back, and shoulders as well as migraines and psychological problems. 

However, despite her claiming that these injuries disabled her and limited her capacity to walk, medical experts found there was no reason for this to be the case.

In the following years, she was caught dancing at a wedding, attending a pop concert and jetting off on trips to Italy and Switzerland.

Claire Thomas (pictured), 39, tried to claim over £250,000 after the 2016 crash, saying the suffered physical injuries as well as migraines and psychological problems

Claire Thomas (pictured), 39, tried to claim over £250,000 after the 2016 crash, saying the suffered physical injuries as well as migraines and psychological problems

Ms Thomas, who had trained as a lawyer and worked as a judge's and barrister's clerk, had been placed under surveillance after insurance company LV=, whose policyholder was involved in the 2016 crash, became suspicious of her symptoms.   

A surveillance operation carried out by law firm Clyde & Co captured evidence of her walking, jogging, and playing with her nephew in the park, reports WalesOnline.

An additional review of her social media found evidence of her trips abroad as well as her walking along 'very rough' and 'slippery' paths while undertaking the famous Four Waterfalls Walk in the Brecon Beacons.

The case was subject to a hearing at Cardiff County Court with a judge dismissing Ms Thomas' claim after finding that she had 'not presented a truthful account of her symptoms'. 

Insurer LV= is now looking to recover costs from Ms Thomas.

The court heard that on July 22, 2016, Ms Thomas, was driving her Vauxhall Astra along the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road from Merthyr towards Aberdare. 

As she hit traffic, a van driven by Alan Owen failed to stop and collided with the back of her car, which Ms Thomas' vehicle suffered 'relatively significant' damage and was considered an insurance write-off - Mr Owen admitted liability for the crash. 

In July 2019, Ms Thomas issued proceedings and claimed that from the incident she had sustained several injuries and had developed a 'secondary fibromyalgia syndrome with hemiplegic migraine'. 

Medical experts found there was no reason for this to be the case and she was found to have been 'fundamentally dishonest'. Pictured: A still taken from surveillance footage of Ms Thomas

Medical experts found there was no reason for this to be the case and she was found to have been 'fundamentally dishonest'. Pictured: A still taken from surveillance footage of Ms Thomas

These were in addition to psychological consequences including flashbacks, travel anxiety, and low mood with her symptoms allegedly disabling her 'in terms of mobility, pain, and all aspects of daily living' albeit with 'good days and bad'.

With her initial claim supported by medical reports from a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and a consultant neurologist she sought 'significant' damages. 

These included a past loss of earnings between the time of the accident and March 2022, when the most recent iteration of her claim was issued, of £124,444.86 and a future loss of earnings of £60,900, while the combined total of her estimated past and future care and assistance costs was calculated at £25,137.

However, despite extensive investigation by medical experts none could suggest a physical cause for her disability save for a period of months after the crash. 

With no proven physical explanation Ms Thomas contended that the trauma of the collision had 'aggravated a pre-existing somatic symptom disorder (SSD)' which occurs when someone has extreme exaggerated anxiety about physical symptoms which prevents them from carrying out everyday activities.

While a psychiatry expert accepted that this was the most likely explanation if Ms Thomas' account was reliable, the defendant, Mr Owen, argued that this was the case and that the court should find that Ms Thomas had been 'fundamentally dishonest' in her reporting of her symptoms.

Following the crash Ms Thomas sought benefits and during an interview with the Department of Work and Pensions in July 2017 said that she used a crutch while outdoors and would go 'nowhere else...by herself' other than the shop across the road from her home. 

She said that she could not walk far distances and was nervous of public transport.

Pictured: Henrhyd Falls near Coelbren in the Brecon Beacons National Park

Pictured: Henrhyd Falls near Coelbren in the Brecon Beacons National Park

But two months later a social media post by Ms

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