Michelle Traxler

Michelle specialises in defending catastrophic injury claims arising from employer's liability, public liability and road traffic accidents and involving brain, spinal, amputation, multiple orthopaedic and chronic pain injuries and claims involving complex causation issues and indemnity points.

She has over 25 years’ experience advising clients across the insurance market including single line and composite insurers and Lloyd’s syndicates. Her key clients include Admiral Insurance and Aspen Insurance UK Ltd.

Michelle is routinely instructed in claims with a pleaded value of several million pounds and is additionally responsible for supervising injury work within the London catastrophic and large loss claims team.

Relevant experience includes advising:

• An insurer client in connection with the defence of RTA claim where the claimant suffered a traumatic below knee amputation alleged to arise out of failings by multiple defendants during the course of road works to a roundabout. Liability was defended in full and an application for summary judgment successfully pursued resulting in the insured client being let out of proceedings within ten months of Michelle’s instruction thereby avoiding protracted litigation and the payment of any damages or inter parties costs.
• An insurer client in defending a claim by a claimant motorcyclist who suffered partial tetraplegia when the defendant motorist pulled out of a minor road in front of him. Liability was disputed due to the claimant’s speed. Michelle successfully negotiated settlement of less than 5% of the £10 million claimed before the second anniversary of the accident.
• In a claim arising out of a RTA where the claimant sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. Immediately prior to the accident the claimant, a pedestrian, was seen violently assaulting an individual at the roadside before he stepped out into the path of the terrified defendant motorist who did not want to stop due to the claimant’s witnessed violent behaviour. The claim was defended on the basis of an argument of ex turpi causa and the matter was proceeding to a liability trial when a negotiated settlement was achieved at a small fraction of the value claimed and notwithstanding the fact that quantum remained uncertain.
• A defendant skip hire and reclamation company. The claimant employee suffered the amputation of his middle, ring and little fingers and partial amputation of the index finger of his dominant right hand whilst undertaking routine maintenance work on a generator. A negotiated settlement was achieved within 18 months of the accident thus buying off the risk of the claim to include the risk of a very significant claim for the provision of private prosthetics.

Michelle is named as a key lawyer in The Legal 500 and noted for handling maximum severity claims.