Resolving disagreements over where blame lies for road accidents and the amounts of compensation due to victims is all part of a day’s work to a specialist personal injury lawyer. In a case on point, a catastrophically injured cyclist’s legal team overcame numerous hurdles to win him millions in damages.
The man was aged in his 20s when a car knocked him off his bike. He sustained severe brain damage, together with multiple orthopaedic and soft tissue injuries, and would always require 24-hour care. Lawyers launched proceedings on his behalf against the motorist’s insurers, but liability for the accident and the value of his claim were both hotly disputed.
There was no agreement between experts as to impact of the accident on the man’s life expectancy or the likely path that his future career would have taken had he not been injured. Resident in a nursing home since the accident, his family wanted to purchase and adapt a home for him, but expert views on the value of his claims in respect of accommodation and future care costs were also divided.
The man’s lawyers, however, succeeded in negotiating a way through the impasse and the insurers agreed to settle his claim for a lump sum of £4,850,000. That represented 60 per cent of the full value of his claim. The High Court had no hesitation in approving the settlement and paid tribute to the dedication and courage that his family had shown in caring for him.
YLT v Khurshid & Ors. Case Number: TLQ18/0916