Personal injury news

Brain injured man makes successful car accident claim

A man who suffered debilitating brain injuries in a road traffic accident is to receive a huge compensation payout after making a car accident claim.

Mark Jukes was hit by uninsured driver Olakunle Etti as he got off a bus in London in March 1999, suffering serious head injuries as a result. After a long period of time receiving hospital treatment, 44-year old Jukes was forced to move into sheltered accommodation and now requires around-the-clock care.

The High Court found that Etti, who was uninsured at the time of the incident, was negligent and had not exercised reasonable care immediately prior to the road traffic accident.

Mr Justice Holland said, "He should have observed Mr Jukes - as a pedestrian and a potential hazard - before seeing him in front of his vehicle."

However, the court also found that Jukes was also partly responsible for his personal injuries because he had been running across the road at the time of the collision. As a result, the court deemed that the total sum of his car accident claim should be cut by 40%.

Mr Holland added, "This was a case in which there was a material contribution by Mr Jukes to his accident.

"When he realised the car was not going to give way, he sought to resolve the situation by moving as fast as he could, by running towards the further side of the road, out of the way of the oncoming car.

"All that strongly suggested a failure on his part to exercise reasonable care for his own safety."

The exact figure of Mr Juke's car accident claim compensation will be decided at a future court hearing.