Just imagine you are seriously injured tomorrow. How would it affect your life and plans? Most people do not give the possibility a second thought, because no-one plans to be injured.

I suffered life-changing injuries in a road collision with a skip lorry which could and should have been avoided. I now advocate for the rights of injured people like me. Injury Awareness Week (23-27 June) highlights the impact of needless injuries and how we should all care about what happens to victims, because negligence could happen to any one of us.

My crash is the worst thing that ever happened to me. The loss of my leg and other bodily functions has meant I think of my life in terms of 'before' and 'after'. Before life was easy and carefree. After, it is fraught with pain and daily reminders of what I have lost. 

Thousands of people every year in the UK lose their bodily integrity through no fault of their own, and the impact on our lives is devastating. Through the law on civil compensation I have been able to regain some of the functions I have lost, and it is so important that the rights of injured people are safeguarded so that others are able to do the same. 

Victoria Lebrec

Executive committee member

APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers)