Thompsons Solicitors has secured £1.3 million in compensation for a man who suffered a severe brain injury after a car crash.

The victim, now 28 years old and originally from Durham, was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked Peugeot outside a local chip shop waiting for a friend to return to the vehicle with their food.

Erratic driving caused serious crash

A second acquaintance, a 17 year old man who had been parked behind them, got out of his own vehicle and into the Peugeot - which still had the keys in the ignition and drove off, with the claimant inside. He began driving the car erratically and ultimately crashed the car into a fence.

Severe brain injury

In the impact of the crash the victim was partially thrown from the car sustaining a severe brain injury as well as a broken collarbone and several other minor physical injuries. It is likely that he will require support for the rest of his life as a result of the accident.

Headway, the brain injury association, have a Specialist Brain Injury Solicitor’s List, and it was from this list that the mother of the injured man chose Thompsons Solicitors.

Thompsons stepped in where high street solicitor failed

The injured man’s mother said: “For the first few years after the incident, and before we received the compensation, I was the sole carer for my son and of course at that time his condition was at its worst.

“During that time we had a solicitor we found through a television advert. Despite giving them all the information they requested they didn't do a great deal for us and nothing seemed to move on. Thankfully, Headway’s list helped us find Thompsons.

With Thompsons on our side, we have ended up with enough compensation to afford physiotherapists and other rehabilitation experts, which has helped my son enormously and taken a great weight off my mind. I can’t thank Thompsons enough for what they’ve done to assist my son - he will never fully recover but he is so much better.

Thankfully, my son has regained his ability to walk and move around independently, but he still needs daily care because of the brain injuries, and he will never be able to work.”

Compensation will help recovery and pay for specialist care

Paul Brown of Thompsons Solicitors said: “My client was the innocent passenger in a horrific road accident. When the case was transferred to us from his previous solicitors there was a lot of catching up to do, investigation work including instructing experts, getting far better details of the collision and obtaining further witness evidence.

“Our experience in dealing with personal injury cases for people with serious brain injuries means we have set procedures and actions we take that quite clearly the previous firm weren’t geared up to do at all. We hope that his condition continues to improve and the funding we have secured will help to support him in the future with the use of a case manager, support workers and access to further treatment and rehabilitation.”

Importance of expert brain injury solicitors

Alastair White, North East Regional Co-ordinator for Headway, the brain injury association said: “Headway is proud to work with solicitors who have the necessary experience in the field of brain injury claims to bring these often complex cases to the right conclusion.

“This case highlights the value of our Solicitors List, and we are pleased that Thompsons were able to settle the case ensuring that the compensation awarded will provide the survivor with the care he needs for the rest of his life.”