Personal injury news

Personal injury solicitor banks on payout
for ferry tragedy woman

A British nurse hailed the "Angel of the Ferry" after she saved a man's life in a New York boating disaster could be in line for a huge compensation claim payout in the next few weeks.

When a ferry collided with a pier in 2003, killing 11 people and leaving dozens injured, Kerry Griffiths leapt into action. One of the injured was 24-year-old Paul Esposito, whose legs were sliced off above the knees, resulting in huge loss of blood. Miss Griffiths tied a belt around the wound, stopping the blood flow and eventually saving the man's life.

Despite not being hurt in the ferry accident, the nurse now suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is unable to work because of constant flashbacks and nightmares.

The nurse's personal injury solicitor, Derek Sells, said, "She keeps reliving the horror of that day over and over again in her mind.

"She went through a lot that day and that has affected her psychologically and emotionally."

Her hopes of receiving damages have been given a boost by the news that the man she helped, Mr Esposito, has been awarded $9million after a high-profile court case in the United States.

Mark Church, a personal injury solicitor from Wales, explained why this aids Miss Griffith's cause, saying, "It will help because you have to prove legal fault, and the fact that Mr Esposito has recovered compensation must mean that they accepted they were legally to blame."

A total of 191 compensation claims have so far been filed in relation to the tragic ferry accident, and it is estimated that as much as $100million could be paid out to those affected.