A 57-year-old man has been awarded nearly a quarter of a million pounds after being dragged under a vehicle and crushed in a road traffic accident.
He suffered numerous injuries and his face was scarred for life. He had permanent pain in his lower back.
The vehicle hit the man
The accident happened when he stood behind a stationary vehicle waiting to cross the road. The driver reversed and hit the man who was dragged under the vehicle, crushed and trapped.
He suffered multiple fractures to his face, most notably to his nose. His right eye was displaced which caused double vision and several of his teeth were knocked out. His facial nerves were damaged, which caused an unpleasant sensation in his face.
The scars on his face were permanent and easily noticeable. The man hated the way they looked and they caused him to regularly become upset.
His body was permanently injured
He suffered multiple fractures including some to his ribs and left arm. His rib fractures caused his respiratory system to function 10% less efficiently. He also had a wedge fracture to the T2 vertebra which made it difficult for him to walk. These effects were permanent which meant he would need to walk with a stick for the rest of his life.
He needed to have plates inserted into his face and a bridge into his mouth to repair the damage caused. It took 6 months for all of the fractures on his body to heal.
The accident affected him psychologically
He also suffered psychologically and the mental symptoms included avoidance behavior, physiological hyper-arousal and post traumatic stress disorder which made him feel he was reliving the incident. He would not leave the house without his partner persuading him to do so.
He felt useless and irritable. After a year the psychological symptoms had not gone away and he had treatment but the symptoms remained. It was likely that despite treatment the post traumatic stress would affect him for the rest of his life.
He had worked as a bus driver but he was unable to return to work after the accident. He also had his HGV and PCV license revoked because of his double vision.
The driver had been negligent
He brought action against the driver saying that he had been negligent in:
- Failing to see him before starting to move
- Not ensuring his safety as he pulled away
The driver admitted liability and an out of court settlement worth £249,000 was agreed. This was to cover his:
- Pain suffering and loss of amenity
- Loss of past and future earnings
- Cost of past and future care
- Cost of future equipment
If you have been injured in a road accident that wasn’t your fault call a personal injury lawyer now.
