Trainee cop paid £2m damages after horrific crash
A trainee police officer has been awarded about £2m in compensation after suffering serious chest and head injuries when a police car crashed into a tree.
The cop was serving as a probationary constable with Surrey police when the driver of the car he was travelling in lost control and crashed into a tree.
The 32-year-old man suffered collapsed lungs, brain damage, and multiple fractures to his face and limbs.
As a result he retired from the force in Millbridge, near Farnham, Surrey, in 2003.
The cop then sued the Chief Constable of Surrey police, who did not dispute liability and agreed to a settlement of his compensation claim.
The High Court approved the settlement valued at about £2m divided in lump sum of £800,000 and a payment of £25,000 a year for the rest of his life to cover the cost of his care.
The ruling judge said: "I have no difficulty at all in approving this settlement; it is entirely in his interests."
After the accident, he tried to return to duty his injuries were so severe that he had to relinquish his dream of a career in the force.
A spokeswoman for Surrey police said: "The hearing was held to approve an already-agreed settlement between Surrey police's insurers and former police officer."
Updated on 10/21/2009