Road traffic accident victim receives £2.4m in compensation

Published: 13/12/2012

A driver who suffered a stroke after sustaining whiplash in a car accident has been awarded £2.43 million in compensation.

Robert Bright was hit from behind by another vehicle while at a standstill on the M27 in 2008. Believing he was not seriously injured, Mr Bright simply swapped insurance details with the other driver before continuing on his journey.

But 34 days later he suffered a severe stroke; the whiplash injury had damaged and split the main artery that supplies blood to the brain. As a result Mr Bright was left with a serious brain injury and without the full use of his left arm.

The seven figure compensation sum was calculated to ensure he is able to pay for lifelong care and rehabilitation as well as covering his substantial loss of earnings.

Whiplash claims are under severe criticism at present with insurers alleging such claims add around £90 to every insurance policy. Many critics believe there is a “whiplash epidemic” in UK which is fuelling our so called “compensation culture”.

However there is no denying whiplash can be a debilitating injury which can have a long term impact on a sufferer; one in five people who have had a whiplash injury in the past suffered symptoms for more than a year. In Mr Bright’s case, it had devastating results. He has now gone on to urge anyone who suffers such an injury to seek medical advice.

“I was doing well in my career and had a very active social life with friends and family but I can’t enjoy any of this now.”

Content correct at time of publication