After a mammoth 12 year legal battle, Manny Helmot has been awarded record personal injury compensation of nearly £14 million.
Helmot was a former champion cyclist who in 1998 represented Guernsey in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpar. Later that year, whilst out training, he was hit by a speeding car. He underwent a nine month hospital stay with severe brain injuries and is now partially blind, suffers from double vision and mental health problems and can no longer use his right arm.
His family engaged the services of an accident solicitor who sued the car driver’s insurance company and pursued the family’s personal injury claim through the Guernsey courts.
Meanwhile, the UK courts may be about to witness a rise in personal injury claims against manufacturers of antipsychotic drugs such as Seroquel, from AstraZeneca.
British researchers have now found that these drugs can increase the risk of life-threatening blood clots. AstraZeneca has said that it will review the latest findings but stands by the risk to benefit profile of the drug.
One may have expected the drug company to take the matter more seriously when you consider that last month they agreed to pay out just under $200 million in settlement of around 17,500 personal injury claims in the U.S. that directly related to Seroquel after legal claims that its use led to an increased risk of diabetes.
© 2010 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.