Injured cyclist seeks £18 M in compensation
An £18 million personal injury claim was launched in the Royal Court yesterday after a cyclist suffered serious personal injuries as a result of a car accident.
A cyclist, who represented Guernsey at the 1998 Kuala Lumpar Commonwealth Games, suffered severe physical and brain injuries after being hit by a car.
He was out on a training ride when the incident took place.
His guardians are now claiming £18 million from the driver of the car and his insurer.
Three is no dispute for the liability for the accident and the company has offered to pay £5.3 million in compensation.
In his opening statement for the plaintiff, his personal injury lawyer said it was rare for a case such as this to ‘go the distance’.
He said that the court's part would be to review the damage level.
The lawyers said that the cyclist had still had to undergo major surgery as late as July 2006 as a result of the accident that took place in 1998.
The use of his right arm has been lost permanently, and he has suffered constant double vision, was registered partially blind.
The most drastic result of his accident is that the man can never work, drive, or ride a bike.
His injury lawyer said the man and the car driver agreed on certain points and disagreed on others but "they were ‘many millions apart’ on the issue of pecuniary damages."
Updated on 08/10/2009