Local man receives £23m. in damages after 2021 car crash

London law firm Stewarts worked alongside Guernsey law firm Walkers to represent a passenger in a motor accident from November 2021, in a claim against the driver and his insurers. It announced the conclusion of the civil action yesterday.

The man, who has not been named, was 20 years old at the time.

He sustained a complete spinal cord injury, resulting in tetraplegia – a partial or total sensory and motor loss of the arms, legs and torso. He was a passenger in a VW Golf travelling home after a night out with friends from North Beach. The driver lost control of the vehicle while travelling along Le Friquet, Castel, and the car ended up on its roof. He sustained catastrophic and life-changing injuries, including a C7 complete spinal cord injury following an unstable fracture to his C6 vertebrae.

He was transferred to Southampton General Hospital by helicopter before going on to receive specialist spinal injury rehabilitation at Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital.

Chris Deacon from Stewarts, who acted for the man, said the cost of providing specialist spinal cord injury care had risen sharply in recent years, and came with added challenges on a small island with limited resources for spinal injuries.

‘The level of settlement agreed in this case reflects his young age, long life expectancy, requirement for two carers at certain times during the day to meet his care needs safely, and the prevailing economic factors in Guernsey,’ he said.

The settlement meeting happened on the third anniversary of the accident.

Legal teams for both parties worked together to secure early access to almost £3m. in funding to help with rehabilitation costs. This also enabled the victim to purchase and adapt a new home to suit his long-term needs.

Shortly after issuing court proceedings on a protective basis in the Royal Court, the parties reached agreement on a final lump sum settlement of £23m.

Since the accident and now, the States has moved to change the law to fix the personal injury discount rate – a calculation applied to claims involving future losses – but has not concluded such considerations.

In 2022 the teenage driver of the car pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to driving at a dangerous speed, with it being estimated that he had driven up to 65mph. The weather had been bad at the time, with Storm Arwen blowing across the island. The driver had only passed his test a few weeks earlier.