Cristina Parla

Cristina is a Paralegal in our Personal Injury team having joined the firm in 2004. She deals with road traffic accidents, trips and slips, public liability, employers’ liability and claims against the local authority. She is a specialist electronic claims portal handler but the majority of her caseload is non-portal work. 

Cristina handles personal injury claims from initial instruction all the way through to trial.  She has particular expertise in dealing with accidents in public places brought under the relevant provisions of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 or Highways Act 1980. She has represented a number of individuals who have suffered both minor and serious injuries. Welcoming even the more challenging of cases, her friendly and professional approach puts her clients at ease.

Cristina's recent work includes:

• successful in a claim arising out of a slipping accident on private property.  The claimant slipped on moss and liability was robustly denied.  The defendant pursued a section 57 fundamental dishonesty defence, but the claimant was successful at trial and won an ‘exceptional circumstances’ argument on costs due to the defendant’s heavy-handed tactics.  Full article here: The fight against section 57 fundamental dishonesty.
• successfully representing a claimant who suffered injuries in a health and beauty store.  The defendant’s employee had reached into a chiller unit on behalf of the claimant, but in doing so, the employee knocked cans of drink out of the fridge, and one hit the claimant’s foot before rolling across the floor.  The accident was denied but CCTV footage supported the claimant’s version of events.
• claim against a local authority in respect of a Highway tripping accident. The claimant suffered multiple areas of soft tissue injury when she stepped in a pothole which was located at the bottom of a sloping path. Liability was denied by the local authority and it went before the court for determination.  The court ruled in the claimant’s favour.  Quirk of the case it happened virtually on the claimant’s doorstep.
• successfully represented two injured bus passengers following a road traffic accident on Christmas Eve. The driver of a car crashed into a bus carrying passengers. The bus driver then lost control and crashed into the Guide Dogs for the Blind office in Peterborough. The incident made national press.
• claim on behalf of S (A Child) -v- Severn Trent Water Plc successfully concluded at court. This was a legally complex case which set a precedent for future cases regarding disputes on the maintenance of private land.