UK Injury Compensation News

A man whose life was changed when he was run down by a car on holiday has had a settlement of compensation for injuries to a pedestrian approved in court.

James Kennedy (37) from Gosforth in Newcastle was on holiday in Rome with friends from university when, on January 14th 2006, he was hit by a car while crossing the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele in Rome´s ‘Eternal City’.

James suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the accident, as well as fracturing his skull, spine, knee and shoulder, and was in a coma for ten months in Rome´s Santo Spirito Hospital. He is now confined to a wheelchair and although described in court as ‘mentally acute’, James suffers with concentration, has a poor memory and requires around-the-clock care.

Because of his mental impairment, James made a compensation claim for injuries to a pedestrian through his mother – Elaine – against the insurers of the negligent driver. The insurance company contested the claim on the grounds that James had been wearing dark clothing on the night of the accident and had failed to look carefully before stepping out into the street.

However, a negotiated resolution was reached in October 2009, in which the negligent driver´s insurance company accepted 80% liability for James´ injuries and an interim payment of £885,000 was paid to James earlier this year.

The full settlement of compensation for injuries to a pedestrian is expected to be in excess of £10 million – as James is also to receive a further lump sum payment of £3 million and annual index-linked, tax-free payments of £210,000 to pay for the cost of the care and support he will need for the rest of his life.

At the High Court in London, Mr Justice Bean approved the settlement – which will be managed by the Court of Protection – and commented that James risked having a bigger percentage taken from the award for his contributory negligence had his compensation claim for injuries to a pedestrian gone to a trial.

A student´s claim for a pedestrian hit by a car has been resolved in an out-of-court settlement which is believed to exceed £1 million.

Lee Edge (21) from Kings Heath in Birmingham made an injury claim for a pedestrian hit by a car through his mother – Sandra – after he was struck by a car when he was twelve years of age in January 2005.

Lee has suffered with poor memory, fatigue and difficulty concentrating since his accident, but achieved sufficiently high grades to attend college where he now studies Business Administration.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Lee was later convicted of driving without due care and attention at Solihull Magistrates Court in 2005, and a claim was made against the car driver´s insurers to compensate Lee for the trauma he had suffered.

The final out-of-court settlement of the claim for a pedestrian hit by a car has not been disclosed but, due to the nature of Lee´s injuries and the opportunities he has lost, it is anticipated that Lee will receive a settlement in seven figures.

The Appeal Court in London has found Devon County Council 50 percent negligent in a claim for compensation for pothole crash injuries due to their negligent inspection of a rural road´s condition.

The council had brought the claim for pothole crash injuries compensation to the Appeal Court following a High Court verdict in April 2012, which found that the council had failed in their duty of care to adequately inspect and maintain the C-25 between Honiton and Smeatharpe contrary to the Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management (2005).

As a result of the council´s negligence, an 8cm pothole had developed in the road frequently used by farm vehicles and heavy goods lorries, which had been responsible for an accident in which two passengers of a Land Rover suffered catastrophic injuries. The two passengers – identified only as “AC” and “DC” – had been awarded compensation for pothole crash injuries by the Land Rover driver´s insurance company; but the driver of the vehicle – identified as “TR” – claimed that he would not have had the accident were it not for the poor condition of the road.

In April 2012, Mrs Justice Slade at the High Court had found that Devon County Council was 100 percent liable for the accident in which the offside wheels of the Land Rover had fallen into the pothole during an overtaking manoeuvre – causing the driver of the Land Rover to swerve back across the road and into trees – on the grounds that the safety inspection regime on the hilly and winding road had been inadequate and its state of repair was “well below a standard a reasonable driver could expect”.

However, at the Appeal Court in London, Lord Justice Hughes that, although he could find no flaw in Mrs Justice Slade´s verdict, “TR” should share half the blame for the tragedy and be 50 percent liable (through his insurance company) for paying compensation for pothole crash injuries . Lord Hughes – sitting with Lord Justice Lloyd and Sir Stanley Burnton – said that the 8cm pothole in the road was “there to be seen” and ruled that “TR”´s inadvertent error in not seeing and avoiding the pothole contributed to the accident.

Lord Hughes concluded: “Although the error may have been one which many might make, it amounted to a significant failure to keep a proper lookout and to manage the car correctly; it had terrible consequences. In my view, the only proper finding was that there was contributory negligence to the extent of 50 percent”.

A lollipop lady, who was run over by a female driver who then left the scene of the accident, has resolved her claim for hit and run injuries for a four-figure sum.

Karen Littler (49) from Wigan, Lancashire was helping children cross the road outside of the school she was assigned to in Ashton-in-Makerfield in March 2012, when she was knocked over by a Honda Insight driven by Ceris Lovett.

Ms Lovett failed to stop to see if Karen was alright and continued driving. A motorist, alert to what had happened, followed Ms Lovett and recorded her registration number before reporting it to Greater Manchester Police.

Karen was taken to Wigan Infirmary where she was treated for severe bruising down the left hand side of her body, while Ms Lovett was apprehended by police and later convicted of driving without due care and attention by Wigan magistrates.

Karen made a claim for hit and run injuries directly to Lovett´s car insurance company who, despite the conviction of their policyholder, failed to respond in an appropriate time frame to Karen´s request for compensation. Eventually Karen sought professional legal assistance and court proceedings were issued.

Karen has now received an undisclosed settlement of her claim for hit and run injuries.

A girl, who suffered serious injuries in a road accident in which her mother was killed, has had a record settlement of compensation for car crash injuries approved in the High Court.

Agnes Collier (17) from Naunton in Gloucestershire was a passenger in a car being driven by her mother which was involved in a serious road accident on the A436 in March 2009. As her mother swerved to avoid a car emerging from a side road, the car she was driving was hit head-on by a lorry travelling in the opposite direction.

Agnes´ mother was killed in the collision and her brother suffered a head injury from which he has since recovered. Agnes – who was 13 years of age at the time of the accident – sustained a severe spine injury due to which she lost the use of both her legs and now only has limited use of her arms.

The driver of the vehicle responsible for causing the accident – Andrew Norton of Andoversford in Gloucestershire – was convicted of causing death by driving without due care and attention and given a suspended sentence, order to do community work and banned from driving.

Through her father – Dominic – Agnes made a claim for car crash injuries compensation against Norton and, in the High Court, Mr Justice Macduff heard that a settlement had been agreed which would see Agnes receiving a lump sum of £7.25 million with annual periodic payments of £270,000 for the rest of her life – equivalent to £23 million with Agnes´ anticipated life expectancy and a record compensation package for the UK.

After hearing about the accident, Agnes´ injuries and how she had coped with growing up without her mother, Mr Justice Macduff approved Agnes´ settlement of compensation for car crash injuries adding “It never ceases to amaze me how people can deal with this type of adversity. I can’t turn back the clock, but what I can do is to wish you all the very best for your future.”

A motorcyclist has been awarded more than 65,000 dollars in injury compensation for a collision with a police car after a Tennessee judge found the driver of the police car 51 percent liable for causing the accident.

Judge Mike Binkley at the Williamson County Circuit Court heard how Charles Giles of Franklin, Tennessee, was riding along the city´s South Royal Oaks Boulevard when a police car driven by officer Eric Johnson emerged from the intersection at Mack Hatcher Parkway and caused a collision in which Giles sustained significant injuries.

It was claimed in Giles´ action against the city that Johnson – who was answering a 911 emergency call – had pulled out from the intersection without due care and attention, but the court heard testimony from a fellow police officer who was travelling in the car that Johnson had followed the correct police protocol by stopping at the junction and using the vehicle´s emergency siren and lights before continuing.

Officer Johnson acknowledged in court that he had seen Giles riding his motorcycle but had anticipated he was going to slow down and allow the police car access once the sirens and lights were being used. Giles alleged in his claim for a collision with a police car that he did not see or hear the vehicle and that officer Johnson was wrong to proceed on an assumption.

After hearing evidence from both sides, Judge Mike Binkley concluded that “Officer Johnson was the last wrongdoer with the last reasonable opportunity to avoid the collision,” but attributed 49 percent of the blame for the accident to Giles. Consequently, the full award of compensation for a collision with a police car of 128,781 dollars was reduced to 65,678 dollars to reflect Giles´ own contributory negligence.

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has called on the Government to rethink its whiplash injury claims policy after a survey conducted by the market research company Canadean revealed that almost 40 percent of people who have suffered a whiplash injury in the UK have never made a claim.

Karl Tonks, president of APIL, was speaking to the Transport Select Committee when he warned that the Government could be embarking on a potentially damaging reform agenda. His comments follow the results of the 4,000-person strong survey in which forty respondents had suffered some form of whiplash injury in the past year and eight had experienced symptoms of a whiplash injury lasting more than a year.

The results of the survey coincided with the release of statistics from the Compensation Recovery Unit of the Department for Work and Pensions which indicated a fall in whiplash injury claims in the last year from 571,111 in 2010/11 to 547,405 in 2011/12.

 “Instead of pointing the finger at everyone else, insurers really need to stop and look in the mirror,” Mr Tonks told the Transport Select Committee. “They need to stop paying compensation without even asking for a medical report. And they need to start sharing the information they hold about fraudsters to help claimant lawyers identify them early in the process.”

“Of course there will always be people who try to cheat the system. That’s obviously wrong, and we need a universal commitment to working to reduce fraud in whiplash cases. That’s why we have produced a ten-point plan which could do just that and which we hope to discuss with the government.”

APIL´s ten-point plan aims to eliminate fraud in whiplash injury claims without putting barriers in the way of the majority of people and who have genuine injuries and who need to make genuine claims.

1. Information on fraud to be freely available to all parties to help identify fraudsters

2. Claimants to be subject to a legally binding statement of truth

3. Ban insurers from paying compensation without medical evidence

4. No offers of gifts or cash to potential clients to be made by any party

5. Enforcement of future ban preventing insurers from selling claimants´ details

6. Identities of potential expert witnesses to be shared by both sides

7. New guidance to help medics identify and understand whiplash injury

8. Photo ID to be provided when attending a medical

9. Claimant´s solicitor to organise access to relevant medical records

10. Spam texting to be banned

A woman, who developed chronic pain in her back following a road traffic accident caused by a driver attempted to undertake her, has been awarded 18,000 pounds in compensation for car crash back injury by the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Fiona Dickie (24) from Tranent in East Lothian, made the claim for car crash back injury compensation following her accident with Mohammadreza Khandani on Edinburgh’s South Clerk Street in April 2009. It was alleged in the action that Fiona had been driving home from working at a promotional event when Mr Khandani attempted to undertake her vehicle, causing an accident to occur which resulted in Fiona suffering chronic back pain whenever she attended charity events wearing high heels.

It was explained to the Court of Session that despite her injury Fiona had won a Miss Edinburgh competition in 2010 and – in her role as a pageant winner – regularly attended charity functions. As these charity functions were formal affairs, Fiona made the effort to look her best, which included wearing high heels despite the consequences.

The Court also heard that, following her accident with Mr Khandani, Fiona had gone home and phoned NHS24 who advised her to consult her family GP. Fiona was referred by her family doctor for physiotherapy where she was diagnosed with chronic back pain attributable to the injuries sustained in her car accident.

Although Mr Khandani had admitted liability for causing the accident and Fiona´s injuries, Judge Gordon Reid QC was told that his insurers were disputing the amount claimed in compensation for a car crash back injury. Whereas Mr Khandari´s insurers were prepared to settle Fiona´s claim for an amount up to 3,000 pounds, Fiona´s solicitors had requested that the judge award a figure which took into account the consequences of Fiona´s injury to her quality of life in relation to the charity work she performed.

Stating that “[Fiona] has displayed a commendable attitude to work, life in general, and to her continuing back pain in particular” and that “this is not the conduct of a malingerer or someone who is seeking to secure the most compensation possible for her injuries”, Judge Gordon Reid QC awarded Fiona a total of 18,281 pounds in compensation for her car crash back injury.

A woman who suffered significant injuries after a car accident in which the driver was fatally injured, has had an award of compensation for head injury in car crash approved at Dublin´s High Court.

Ciara Kelly (21) was just fifteen years of age when – unbeknown to her parents – she attended an “all-nighter” party in November 2006 with a friend at the home of Shane McMahon in Limerick. McMahon, the court heard, had ended the party prematurely and Ciara – looking for somewhere to spend the rest of the night – fell asleep on the back seat of his car.

While she was sleeping, another party-goer – Noreen Casey (16) – got into the driver´s seat and started to drive McMahon´s car in circles. McMahon took the keys back from her and warned Casey not to take the car again as she had been drinking substantially and was in no condition to drive. However, Casey retrieved the keys and once again started to drive recklessly.

It was shortly after that Casey lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree – killing herself in the accident and injuring Ciara, who was taken to hospital with a closed head trauma and a broken right femur. It was claimed at the hearing that Ciara has also developed post-traumatic epilepsy since the accident.

Through her mother, Ciara made a claim for head injury in car crash compensation against McMahon, the estate of Noreen Casey and – as Casey was uninsured and had taken the vehicle without permission – the Motor Insurers´ Bureau of Ireland. The claim included compensation for a “dimunition of her enjoyment of life” due to mental distress and discomfort and the restriction of her everyday activities due to learning difficulties following the accident.

At the Dublin High Court, Ms Justice Mary Irvine heard that an offer of compensation for head injury in car crash amounting to 1.25 million Euros had been made by the Motor Insurers´ Bureau of Ireland which the family had agreed to. Approving the award, the judge said that it was a wise decision to accept the settlement, as the issue of contributory negligence could affect how much compensation Ciara received if the case had gone to trial.

The largest personal injury compensation settlement in Pennsylvania history was agreed recently after the family of a man who was killed in an articulated lorry accident claimed compensation for his wrongful death due to reckless driving.  

The out-of-court settlement, which awards more than 26 million dollars to the family of David Cook, will provide for ongoing medical care for David´s daughter and son-in-law, who were catastrophically injured in the accident, and compensate David´s wife – Dorcas Cook – for the loss of consortium.

The claim for compensation for wrongful death due to reckless driving was brought after the events of July 6th 2010, when Kathryn Sneeringer was driving her 2004 Toyota Matrix along Interstate 80, accompanied by her husband Peter and father, David.

As Kathryn stopped in traffic due to roadworks, her car was hit from behind by an articulated lorry belonging to GLC Transportation and driven by Spencer Chapman. David, who was seated in the back of the car, was killed instantly, while Kathryn lacerated her liver, broke three ribs, sustained multiple injuries to her vertebrae and other physical injuries.

Her husband, Peter, entered a comatose state due to multiple head injuries and, when he recovered consciousness, was diagnosed with permanent brain injury along with extensive cognitive and physical disabilities. Peter will never again be able to live an independent life and will required fulltime care for the rest of his life.

In the action against Spencer Chapman and GLC Transportation, it was claimed that Chapman was driving at an excessive rate of speed, causing him to “completely and recklessly” lose control of the large vehicle and strike Kathryn´s car.

The lawsuit also claimed that Chapman had told Pennsylvania State Police investigating the accident that he was unable to see the stopped vehicles ahead of him because of the glare of the sun. The Sneeringer´s legal representatives dismissed this as a “complete fabrication” as Chapman was driving towards the East and the accident happened at 5.00pm as the sun was setting in the west.

The solicitors contended that Chapman could not recall the impact, or adequately explain the cause of the accident, because he was not paying due care and attention at the time of the accident or had fallen asleep at the wheel. In any event, argued the solicitors, Chapman was guilty of wrongful death due to reckless driving.

After reviewing the evidence, Chapman and GLC Transportation admitted liability for the injuries and their legal team started settlement negotiations – the result being an award of 26.1 million dollars in compensation for wrongful death due to reckless driving.

A man, who suffered a catastrophic brain injury after the driver of the car in which he was travelling lost control of his vehicle, has had a negotiated settlement of compensation for injured front seat passenger approved in court.

Marc Dallaway (24) from Farnborough, Hampshire, was the front seat passenger in a car being driven by a friend towards the A323 Fleet Road, when his friend lost control of the vehicle and hit another car travelling in the opposite direction. The car overturned after the collision and Marc suffered multiple fractures and a catastrophic brain injury as a result of the accident.

Marc´s mother and grandfather made a car crash injury compensation claim on Marc´s behalf and the Royal Courts of Justice in London heard that, since the collision in May 2006, Marc has made a better recovery than had been expected but still needs 24 hour care and rehabilitation support – and will do so for the rest of his life.

The Court also heard that the driver had admitted liability for the accident and that Marc had already received a lump sum and interim payments of compensation for injured front seat passenger. This had enable Marc´s family to purchase a suitable home and provide the care that Marc has required for the past five years.

The final settlement figure was not revealed by the Court, but is anticipated to be above 1 million pounds.

After last month´s news of a catastrophically injured cyclist who received compensation for a hit and run accident, another cyclist has been awarded hit and run compensation after the car driver that knocked him from his bike was traced and charged with reckless driving.

Jack Dixon (59) was cycling from his local station to his home in Great Waltham, Essex, during a September evening in 2010, when a car cut left immediately in front of him to avoid some temporary traffic lights that were situated directly ahead. The car hit the front wheel of the cycle with force, and sent Jack tumbling onto the road – leaving him with a fractured shoulder blade and a dislocated shoulder.

The motorist sped off, but a bystander who had witnessed the accident gave chase and was able to take down the car´s registration number. Police and solicitors working on behalf of Jack were eventually able to track down the reckless motorist, who admitted liability for accident and Jack´s injuries. The solicitors contacted the driver´s insurance company, and a settlement of 11,000 pounds hit and run compensation was negotiated.

A cyclist, who suffered catastrophic brain injuries after being the victim of a hit and run accident, has been awarded four million pounds in bike accident injury compensation by the High Court in London.

Patrice Gougam (55) of Enfield, Middlesex was cycling along the Great North Road (A1000) in November 2009, when he was hit by a Land Rover driver by Michael Elliot (66) of Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. Mr Elliot drove away from the scene and, when he later gave himself up to police, claimed that he had no knowledge of the accident.

Patrice, who prior to his accident was a professional tennis coach, was in a coma for three weeks and spent the next six months at the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology in Bloomsbury, London. In all, he remained in hospital for twenty-one months after the hit and run accident and still requires round-the-clock care.

The High Court heard that the hit and run driver was being treated for glaucoma and cataracts at the time of the accident and should not have even been driving on that fateful day in November 2009. He was later charged with dangerous driving, for which he was jailed for eight months, and banned from driving for three years.

Announcing the four million pounds award of bike accident injury compensation against Michael Elliot and his insurers, the judge praised Patrice´s wife Virginia, who had managed to work part-time, care for Patrice and find a home with disabled access so that the couple could stay together.

A report released by the “Your Right to Know” campaign has revealed that police cars in South Yorkshire were responsible for 1,152 collisions in three years from April 2008, with 214 people sustaining injuries as a result.

The report also revealed that 731,510 pounds has been paid in car injury compensation as a result of the accidents – a figure defended by South Yorkshire’s Temporary Chief Constable, Bob Dyson, who said “Police drivers receive a high standard of training to respond quickly and safely to emergencies. But unfortunately accidents can happen due to the nature of an officer’s duty.”

South Yorkshire Police Authority chairman Neil Bowles also defended the amount paid in car injury compensation saying that the number of police car accidents compared with the number of miles travelled by police cars every year meant, statistically, crashes were quite rare.

South Yorkshire Police Force has a fleet of 750 vehicles including response vehicles, crime scene investigation vans, dog cars and van to transport prisoners, which collectively cover more than 12 million miles annually. In the last year alone, South Yorkshire Police received 73,911 calls which were allocated the status of “immediate” – meaning that officers should use sirens and lights were necessary to attend the call within fifteen minutes.

In the UK, emergency vehicles displaying blue, red or green flashing lights have the right of way, however police drivers must still comply with road safety rules and the Highway Code states that other road users should not place themselves in danger to avoid a police car or other vehicle on an emergency call.

A forty eight year old single mother, who was catastrophically injured in a road traffic accident in 2009, has settled her claim with the negligent driver´s insurance company in a settlement which experts believe to be worth many millions of pounds.

The woman, who has asked not to be named, was driving along Miles Gray Road in Basildon, Essex, when she was involved in a head on collision with the Ford Ka driven by 76 year old Ernest Bromsgrove. Tragically, the pensioner had suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness as he was driving, and the collision resulted in his death.

The unnamed woman was so badly injured that she had to be airlifted to the Queens Hospital in Romford for emergency treatment and now suffers from permanent paralysis on the left hand side of her body and is confined to a wheelchair. As a result of the accident, the woman driver also suffers from eyesight problems and has difficulty communicating with her family.

The pensioner´s insurance company admitted liability for the woman´s injuries and negotiated a personal injury compensation settlement with the victim´s legal representatives. The details of the out of court settlement were not elaborated on however, as it has to provide lifelong care for the victim. is anticipated to be many millions of pounds.

Despite not being included in the DePuy hip recall of August 2010, the number of DePuy Pinnacle injury compensation claims in the United States has grown so quickly that legislators have merged them into one class action suit – known as a “multi-district litigation” case (MDL).

Over three hundred DePuy Pinnacle injury compensation claims have been filed to date – an alarming figure considering that the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system was not introduced to the market until five years after the recalled DePuy ASR hip replacement systems in 2008 – with each claiming injuries similar to those experienced by patients affected by the DePuy hip recall.

One of the reasons for such a significant failure rate is that no clinical testing was performed on the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system prior to launch on the American market. A process known as 501(k) was used to introduce the faulty hip replacement system into the United States whereby DePuy were able to show that the Pinnacle hip replacement system was similar in design and function to an existing hip replacement product already being used in the United States – the subsequently recalled DePuy ASR Acetabular System!

The MDL for the DePuy Pinnacle injury compensation claims will be held at United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division under Judge Ed Linkeade at a date still to be determined.

UPDATE February 2010: The number of claimants who have joined the MDL for DePuy Pinnacle injury compensation claims has risen to over 900. Unfortunately, a similar “grandfathering” process was used to introduce the Pinnacle hip replacement system into the UK and current advice from the UK Medicines Regulator is for recipients of the faulty metal on metal hip replacement system to have annual blood tests to check for high levels of cobalt and chromium entering the blood stream.

A Hertfordshire man, who was confined to a wheelchair due to injuries sustained in a road traffic accident, has won an undisclosed amount in a compensation settlement.

Mark Seabrook (49) from Watford, Hertfordshire, was driving home from work on the evening of 1^st February 2006, when his car was in collision with a stolen vehicle driven by Salliaman Khan of Watford, Hertfordshire.

Mark was knocked unconscious in the accident and suffered severe injuries to his spine, chest and head, as well as sustaining a broken leg and several rib fractures. He spent six months in hospital recovering from his injuries and was left paralysed for life.

Mr Khan was jailed for eight months for aggravated vehicle taking, but Mark has had a five year wait for compensation from the Motor Insurance Bureau, during which time he was made redundant from his responsible position in a local real estate agent.

Mark brought his case to the High Court, where Judge Thornton QC was due to judge on the amount of compensation to be awarded, but mid-way through the proceedings it was announced by Mark’s legal representatives that he had received an offer with which he was very happy.

The undisclosed settlement, which is believed to be in the millions, will be paid as a lump sum plus annual index-linked, tax-free payments to cover the cost of Mark’s care for the rest of his life. Speaking after news of the settlement had reached him, Judge Thornton QC spoke highly of Mark’s bravery and was very pleased that a suitable settlement had been agreed.

A police sergeant, who was on motorbike duty when sustaining horrific injuries in a road traffic accident, has been awarded 370.000 pounds in an out-of-court settlement.

Steve Ball (43) from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was seriously injured in the head-on collision with another motorcyclist in July 2006, and spent 11 days in hospital after the accident.

Paul had to endure four operations in which nerves from his legs were removed and transplanted to his shoulder to try to regain movement in his right side. What movement there is four years after the accident is severely limited and Paul is still in constant pain.

The other motorcyclist involved in the collision admitted a judgement of error, and payment is to be made by his insurers.

An Essex teenager, left almost completely paralysed by a car accident in 2006, is to receive the biggest compensation package ever awarded in the U.K.

Chrissie Johnson, now 20, had an exceptional future ahead of her – having recently achieved an astonishing 12 GCSEs just months before a tragic road traffic accident near her home in Chipping Ongar, Essex.

The car in which Chrissie was travelling was being driven by a friend – Serena Compton-Cooke – and, due to Serena’s lack of care, was struck by a truck – leaving Chrissie with injuries so severe that she was only kept alive by a tracheotomy.

Chrissie spent 10 days in intensive care at the Royal London Hospital and since the date of her accident has spent much of her time in hospitals and care homes, receiving the full-time attention she now needs. Chrissie has learnt to move one of her arms and can use it to communicate with other people.

Approving the compensation settlement in the High Court, Mrs. Justice Swift paid tribute to Chrissie and described the accident as a “human tragedy”. A massive payout, which consists of a 4 million pounds lump sum and index-linked payments of 300,000 pounds per year, will be used to cover the cost of Chrissie’s care for the rest of her life.

A record 13.75 million pounds has been awarded in compensation to a former Commonwealth Games cyclist who suffered horrific injuries in a road traffic accident during a training ride in November 1998.

Manny Helmot, now 39, from Guernsey, represented the British Crown Dependency in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and was looking forward to a promising career which was brought to an abrupt finish when he was struck by a car driven by Dylan Simon, also of Guernsey.

Manny sustained terrible injuries in the accident, including the loss of use in his right arm, partial blindness and brain injury. He spent 36 weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries, and has since been cared for by his mother, Rose, and her partner, Ken Jordan, in their adapted Guernsey home.

The negligent driver was convicted of dangerous driving and an initial award of 9 million pounds made to Manny. However, Rose and Ken felt that this was insufficient to meet Manny’s lifelong needs and, at the Guernsey Court of Appeal, Judge Jonathon Sumption agreed.

By ordering Simon’s insurers, Tradex, to pay a further 4.75 million pounds, the previous UK record compensation award of 11 million pounds – made earlier this year to a road traffic accident victim in Wolverhampton – was eclipsed.