Two ex-members of the Great North Air Ambulance have eventually secured personal injury compensation for an accident that happened in December 2007.
Jon Ker and Jim Martin suffered horrific injuries when their micro-light aircraft crashed in Northumberland. They were lucky to survive the accident in which the tail plane suddenly fell off, causing the plane to go into a nose-dive.
Mr Martin had a great deal of experience as a commercial pilot for the Ambulance and managed to guide the aircraft to the Golf Course at Burgham Park, where it ended up crashing into trees.
The two men instructed a firm of personal injury solicitors to lodge a claim against the manufacturers of the aircraft, Dyn’ Aero. Mr Ker suffered a brain injury in the accident and Mr Martin sustained head and facial injuries as well as a fractured skull and pelvis. Both men are now unable to pilot an aircraft.
Dyn’ Aero denied liability for the accident and for a time, it looked like the men’s’ personal injury claims would be unsuccessful. However, their solicitor argued that the plane had defective lugs and the judge at Newcastle High Court ruled that the manufacturer was indeed liable. Both men were awarded a significant sum in injury compensation.
After the case, Mr Martin explained that they had been fighting both a mental and a physical battle since the accident occurred. He went on to say that he and Mr Ker loved their job with the Ambulance but paid the price because a faulty product left Dyn’ Aero’s factory.