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 postman, who made a cyclist accident injury claim against the Royal Mail after being knocked down by one of their vans on his way home from work, has resolved the claim against his employer.

David Thompson (62) made his cyclist accident injury claim after being struck by a Royal Mail van early one morning in December 2011. He had been cycling home after completing a shift at the Leeds Mail Centre when he was hit by the vehicle and was taken to hospital suffering from soft tissue injuries to his chest, ribs, spine and thigh.

Unable to return to work for two months because of his injuries, David had to sleep in a downstairs chair at his home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, as it was the only place he could find comfortable. When he returned to work in January 2012, he was assigned light duties to help him with his recovery, but had to give up riding his bicycle because of the psychological trauma he had suffered.

After seeking legal advice, David made a cyclist accident injury claim against the Royal Mail, not only for the physical and psychological injuries he had sustained, but also because he now had to use public transport to commute to and from work and had to pay the costs of travel to maintain his livelihood.

After an internal investigation into David´s accident, the Royal Mail agreed to a negotiated settlement of the cyclist accident injury claim which resulted in David receiving £7,300 in cyclist accident injury compensation.

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.

A new court is to be established in Edinburgh which will deal exclusively with personal injury claims in Scotland in line which recommendations made in Lord Gill´s review of the Scottish court system.

The 2009 review found that personal injury claims in Scotland – which can currently be heard in the Court of Sessions if their anticipated value is in excess of 5,000 pounds – were taking too long to process and the system was becoming too expensive to maintain.

The news was greeted with general approval by trade union organisations and solicitors, who believe the new system will result in fairer and more consistent levels of personal injury compensation in Scotland when claimants have been injured in accidents at work, on the roads and in places of public access through no fault of their own.

Despite statistics showing no real increase in the number of personal injury claims in Scotland, one leading solicitor was quick to refute suggestions that the new court was needed because of a growing “compensation culture” in Scotland.

“‘Compensation culture’ is just a phrase that has been created to put people off making claims and save the insurance industry money” he said. “You don’t stop claims by preventing people who are injured seeking just redress. You stop claims by preventing accidents in the first place.”

Legislation next autumn is expected to confirm the establishment of the new court and it is anticipated that its venue will announced as Edinburgh´s Parliament House – where personal injury claims in Scotland are already heard by Court of Session judges, but who in future will be replaced with experienced Sheriffs.

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 motorcyclist, who sustained terrible physical and psychological injuries after being involved in a head-on crash with a van, has been awarded more than 2 million pounds in compensation for a motorcycle accident in London´s High Court.

Luke Brock (26) from Croydon, London, was riding his scooter along Norbury Avenue in Thornton Heath in January 2002, when a van travelling in the opposite direction failed to see Luke make a right turn in front of him and collided head-on.

Luke, who was just 16 years of age at the time of the accident, suffered a fractured right femur, fractures to both wrists, his right ankle and right elbow. His injuries forced him to give up an aspiring professional football career and his Business Studies Course at Coulsdon College.

London´s High Court heard that, as a result of the accident, Luke developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder which deteriorated into major depression. Luke started living as a recluse even after his physical injuries were healed and is now dependant on his mother for 24 hour care.

The court also heard that liability for Luke´s injuries had been admitted and that the case was before them for assessment of damages only. After due consideration, the judges awarded Luke a lump sum of 2.05 million pounds in compensation for motorcycle accident in London, with a further 50,000 pounds per annum for the rest of his life to enable his family to continue providing his care.

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 sustained a traumatic brain injury when he was struck by a tram in Dublin has had an award of tram accident injury compensation approved in the High Court.

Derek Cross (52) a painter and decorator from Clondalkin, Dublin, was struck by the tram while attempting the cross the Naas dual carriageway in the early hours of 15 September 2007 in order to catch a taxi.

Despite the driver of the tram applying the emergency brakes when he saw Derek in front of him, Derek sustained several fractured ribs and a head injury which has left him unable to work and in need of crutches if he is to walk anywhere.

After seeking legal advice, Derek made a claim for tram accident injury compensation against the operator of the tram service – Veolia Transport – South Dublin County Council and the Railway Procurement Agency, claiming that the parties were negligent in failing to provide a safe passage for pedestrians and warning signs of the risk of injury.

The three defendants denied their liability for Derek´s injury, stating that his accident was attributable to the considerable amount of drink Derek had consumed and Ms Justice Mary Irvine at the High Court in Dublin heard that Derek had been drinking with friends at the nearby Bluebell United Football Club until 1.30am and had a significant level of alcohol in his blood.

The judge also heard that an offer of settlement had also been made by the three defendants amounting to 650,000 Euros, which Derek had accepted but due to his mental impairment was before her for approval. Ms Justice Mary Irvine approved the settlement of tram accident injury compensation, stating that it was an exceptionally good offer under the circumstances of the case.

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 girl, who suffered catastrophic injuries when her parent´s car was involved in a head-on collision with a reckless driver, has had a substantial injured by speeding motorist compensation settlement approved in court.

Cerys Edwards (6) from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was just eleven months old when her parent´s car was hit by a range rover, driven by Antonio Singh Boparan – also of Sutton Coldfield, which was travelling at 70mph in a 30mph zone. Cerys suffered catastrophic injuries in the accident, for which she has undergone dozens of surgeries and still requires round-the-clock nursing care.

Boparan, who was 19 years of age at the time of the accident in November 2006, received a 21 month jail sentence for his part in the accident in 2008. It was at this point that Boparan´s car insurance company – the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group – admitted liability and car crash injury compensation negotiations started on how much compensation Cerys´ family should receive.

At Birmingham´s High Court, Judge Martin McKenna heard that an agreement had been reached which paid a lump sum of injured by speeding motorist compensation to the Edwards family of almost 5 million pounds plus annual payments of 450,000 pounds for the duration of Cerys´ life. The judge was also told that 4 million pounds had already been paid to the Edwards family in interim compensation payments to provide Cerys with the care she needed.

Judge McKenna approved the injured by speeding motorist compensation settlement, stating that it was “one of the saddest cases he had ever come across”. Depending on how well Cerys responds to the care she will now be provided with, the total value of the compensation settlement could approach 20 million pounds.

A female pedestrian, who had to be air-lifted to hospital after sustaining debilitating injuries in a multiple vehicle accident on the North Circular Road, has had a 750,000 pounds settlement of compensation for permanent brain damage approved in the High Court.

Devbai Patel (60) of Neasden, London was walking home from a local shopping trip on January 16th 2008 when she was hit by a lorry whose driver was trying to avoid colliding with two cars that had already crashed on the busy dual carriageway.

The lorry driver was killed instantly as his vehicle ploughed into the wall of a shop and, on arrival at hospital, Devbai underwent emergency surgery for multiple fractures and grave head injuries. Devbai remained in intensive care for two weeks and underwent months of rehabilitation before being allowed home.

Although Devbai made a remarkable physical recovery, she suffered permanent brain damage and will require a high level of care for the rest of her life. With the assistance of a solicitor, Devbai claimed multiple car accident compensation against the driver of the car responsible for causing the accident and, before Mrs Justice Cox at the High Court in London, details of the settlement were announced.

Devbai is to receive a lump sum of 750,000 pounds in compensation for permanent brain damage to account for the physical pain and suffering she has already suffered and her loss of cognitive facility. She is also to receive annual tax-free and index-linked payments of 25,000 pounds to pay for the ongoing care she needs.

Approving the settlement, which Mrs Justice Cox described as “very sensible and realistic”, the judge sent her best wishes to Devbai and her husband as they were not in court for the approval hearing.

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 girl, who sustained catastrophic head injuries after being hit by a car in 1996, has been awarded a brain injury compensation package which is expected to exceed 9 million pounds.

Leigh Ann Blinkthorn (23) of Caister, Norfolk, was just seven years of age when she was struck by a car while crossing the road in her previous home town of Filby, Norfolk, in January 1996. Leigh Ann suffered life-threatening brain injuries as a result of her accident and was in a coma for several weeks.

Almost sixteen years later, Mr Justice Popplewell at London´s High Court heard that Leigh Ann needs constant care and, due to an aggressive personality disorder triggered by her injuries, requires two carers to be in attendance twenty-four hours a day.

Mr Justice Popplewell also heard that the driver of the vehicle – Stephen Hall of Norwich, Norfolk – was found liable for causing the accident back in 2000, but due to legal negotiations and the changes in Leigh Ann´s care requirements, there had been a long delay in settling the case.

Approving the brain injury compensation settlement which sees Leigh Ann receive a lump sum of 2,875,000 pounds immediately, with annual tax-free and index-linked payments of 191,758 pounds, the judge was pleased to hear that the money will enable Leigh Ann to live at home with her parents, Colin and Joy, rather than spend any longer in residential care.

Mr and Mrs Blinkthorn´s “tireless care and dedication” were commended by the judge in his final statement, when he stated “I am pleased to be able to approve this settlement, which is fair and very much in Leigh’s best interests. I hope that this settlement will bring a little enhancement to all your lives”.