£200,000 Brain Injury Claim Victory For Coles Miller3rd Mar 2016
An elderly Poole pedestrian who suffered serious brain and leg injuries after being hit by a car is to receive compensation in excess of £200,000 to fund his care.
He has already received £65,000 of the agreed settlement as an interim payment, along with an undertaking regarding future care costs.
Brain injury solicitors at Coles Miller took legal action on behalf of the victim after he was hit by a car while crossing a road in the Old Town, Poole.
The victim was knocked unconscious in the collision. He remained in a coma for over a week at Poole Hospital.
His injuries included a skull fracture and bleeding on the surface of the brain. His left leg had to be amputated at the knee.
The victim also sustained serious neck and shoulder injuries, broken ribs, a fractured pelvis and thigh bone.
He is now confined to a wheelchair and suffers from mental impairment and also memory loss. He is being cared for in a dementia home (although he does not suffer from dementia).
His medical experts estimate that his remaining life expectancy was reduced from nine years to six years following the collision.
The defendant driver admitted driving without due care and attention. He was disqualified from driving by the magistrates court.
An accident reconstruction report suggested the car had been travelling at over 40mph when the driver started braking and that the impact occurred at 29mph.
Coles Miller Partner Adrian Cormack said: “The accident report shows that, had the defendant been driving at 30mph, then our client would have had enough time to cross the road safely.
“Furthermore, the report concluded that if the defendant had been doing 30mph when emergency braking started, the impact speed would have been only 9mph – and our client would have suffered much less serious injuries.”
Mr Cormack, who leads the Personal Injury Department at Coles Miller, is listed in the UK’s Legal 500 guide to recommended solicitors for his expertise in handling complex brain injury cases.
He is a member of the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel, an Accredited Brain Injury Specialist with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and chairman of the trustees at brain injury charity Headway Dorset.
Motor accident compensation solicitors at Coles Miller handle claims from all over the country.
For further information, please contact Coles Miller Partner Adrian Cormack, 01202 355695.
This document is not intended to constitute and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice on any specific matter. No liability for the accuracy of the content of this document, or the consequences of relying on it, is assumed by the author. If you seek further information, please contact Managing Partner Neil Andrews at Coles Miller Solicitors LLP.
