The latest short film for our flagship campaign, Rebuilding Shattered Lives, is in the running for two industry awards. I would like to think that those who make up the 1.6 million views it has received online since it launched a year ago are not surprised. The film, Rusty's Story, packs a punch in its two minutes, demonstrating clearly why the needs of injured victims of negligence must be put first in any policymaking about personal injury law.

Rusty’s Story is about Rusty Brown, from Sussex, and is the true story of how his life was changed forever by a speeding hit-and-run driver, who crashed head-on into Rusty’s car and left him for dead.

What may surprise some is that such a strong film was produced in-house on a shoestring budget. The high engagement with the film and overwhelmingly positive feedback shows it is delivering tremendous bang for its buck. To receive recognition from the industry awards is the icing on the cake, but to achieve what the film really sets out to do will take a while longer yet.

Rebuilding Shattered Lives is a long-term campaign to tackle ingrained, cynical perceptions about what the compensation really means for recipients.  All too often when we read news stories about someone who has been injured due to negligence, the focus is on how much compensation they receive.

Anyone who has been seriously injured will tell you (as would any personal injury lawyer) that compensation is anything but a ‘windfall’. Victims of negligence like Rusty would give up any amount of money to go back to how their lives were before they were hurt.

A personal injury claim is not about the headline numbers. It is about getting back on track, through rehabilitation, care, and proper equipment. As Rusty explains, his legal claim enabled him to get his first properly-fitting prosthetic leg. The NHS simply could not provide one which would fit him. The one he had from the NHS was so painful that he could not stand for more than a few minutes. But now the film shows him striding down Bognor Regis seafront.

At this stage of the campaign, Rebuilding Shattered Lives uses film to tell the stories of people like Rusty, because they are the only people who can convey properly what it is like to have your health, life, and plans implode due to an injury caused by someone else. The misconceptions and assumptions about injured people and their lawyers are going to take some time and collective effort to turn around. Rusty’s Story is one powerful cog. We are very proud of the film, and very grateful to Rusty for his time and candour, which made it possible. 

Rusty’s Story is a finalist in the Memcom Excellence Awards. I’m pleased to say Rusty will join me at the ceremony when the winners are announced at the end of September. The film is also in the running for the Association Excellence Awards. We hope to continue the success of the previous Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign film Victoria's Story, which scooped gold in the best blog, video or podcast category in 2023. The results will be revealed in November.

If you have not seen Rusty’s Story yet, watch it here. Please continue to support this critical campaign by sharing Rusty’s Story and Victoria's Story on your own and company social media platforms too. It is vital that we spread the word about what personal injury law and PI lawyers really do for people like Rusty when they are at the lowest points in their lives.

Watch this space for the next instalment.