Tristan Holdom

Head of Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence

Areas of Specialism: Brain, spinal cord and catastrophic injury specialist

Heading up the Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Department Tristan is a brain, spinal and catastrophic injury specialist with over 20 years’ experience in helping the seriously injured through rehabilitation and recovery. He supports and guides seriously injured people and their families through the claims process putting in place packages and securing funding for costs of care, specialist equipment, treatment and lost earnings.

Motivated and professional but caring and empathetic, He fights hard to secure the best possible outcome for his clients, their families and carers. He takes pride in the level of client care he provides every day.

He also works closely with my local Headway branches and the Spinal Injuries Association and their fundraising activities and he survived their first legal skydive in 2018.

Areas of Expertise:
All areas of personal injury including:
- Road accidents
- Workplace and public place accidents
- Defective medical products
- Clinical negligence specialising in high value, serious and complex injuries.
Types of Clients:
- Private individuals.
Professional Memberships & Accreditations:
- Law Society Personal Injury Panel member for 17 years
- Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
- Headway- Accredited Brain Injury Specialist Solicitor – Headway
- Spinal Injuries Association – Accredited Spinal Cord Injury Specialist Solicitor
Outside Appointments:
- Coach to U-18 Tattenhoe ladies football team.
Notable Cases:
1. Catastrophic brain injury to 6 year old boy following near drowning due to negligence of lifeguards in public swimming pool
Liability disputed throughout. Successful at trial and subsequent appeal. Settlement approved by the High Court at £13million covering lifelong care and accommodation.
2. Ankle injury of utmost severity resulting in below knee amputation
After 3 years intense rehabilitation and multiple surgeries. Unable to return to work but returned to a positive and fulfilling life with the benefit of state of the art prostheses. Settlement agreed at £1.75million.
3. Catastrophic de-gloving and burns to lower torsos of 2 children caused by commercial fireworks
Extensive reconstructive surgery and grafting including innovative treatments using shark skin grafting over 7 years. Intensive psychological rehabilitation and support for traumatised family. Compensation exceeding £210,000
4. Traumatic brain injury caused by fall down pub cellar.
Liability disputed for 3 years. Highly qualified IT systems specialist with earning capacity of £75-100k p.a. Unable to work. Significant cognitive dysfunction. Currently engaged in multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Working closely with case managers with key focus on budgets due to 75/25 liability agreement. Settlement in excess of £1m
5. Serious brain injury from assault at work with consequent visual impairment limiting ability to work
Significant causation issues but successful focussed rehabilitation and working with employers and support organisations to enable full return to work and driving with assistance. Compensation in excess of £200,000
6. Serious ankle injury to scaffolder forcing early retirement
Settled for over £250,000 within 2 years of instruction
7. Pedestrian traumatic brain injury.
Elderly widow living alone. Cognitive impairment, leg injury restricting mobility, total loss of smell & taste. Care package in place and close liaison with Headway as additional support. Compensation exceeding £100,000.
8. Catastrophic knee injury.
Claim funded extensive surgical and rehabilitation programme including plating and pinning before knee replacement. Original medical view was that Claimant would not work again. Successful rehabilitation programme allowed a return to work. Compensation exceeding £180,000.
9. RTA causing paraplegia in pensioner.
Following a lengthy dispute, defendant accepted liability but delays had meant level of medical care had been poor. He then required intense pressure sore and skin viability work to improve the quality of life. Practical and emotional support to his wife and carer. Funding secured for adaptations to home to enable client to be with his beloved dogs and see his garden. The simple things for him were the most important.
10. Multiple injuries in motorcycle accident including serious spinal fractures and head injury to a self employed builder.
Unable to return to work. Complicated medical arguments and business loss calculations and projections a pre trial settlement of over £½ million was reached.
11. Fractured skull, brain injury and full thickness burns to legs
3 year old girl hit by a reversing car pulling her underneath and into contact with the hot exhaust. Left with obvious and extensive scarring after extensive grafting. At such a young age it was difficult to determine the extent of any brain injury and in particular it’s impact on her educational development. She grew up to be a bright and pretty young lady but very self-conscious of her scarring which served as a constant reminder of her trauma. It was important that her development both psychologically and educationally was monitored over the years Through her claim she had access to an excellent support network of educational psychologists consultants and careers experts to supplement the medical help and treatment. This has helped her open up the educational and developmental opportunities for her future. Her future has been secured by a High Court approval of a settlement exceeding £350,000
12. Group action of over 35 claims for defective hip implants
Securing a total of over £500,000 in compensation for the victims.

Outside of the office, Tristan enjoys football, travelling and Italian cooking. He also enjoys spending time with his family and trusty Labrador, Benson. In addition, Tristan is a supporter of dog charities, particularly rehoming and medical support dogs.

Tristan is available to meet at the following offices: Milton Keynes, Northampton