Personal injury news roundup: 7 days ended 6 Jan 2015:
A 52 year old cameraman lost a leg in the wake of an accident and got to walk away with a major personal injury compensation award.
The career cameraman, who had a well-respected career for covering sporting events around the world for ITV, the BBC and other broadcasters, had been in Cannes, France to film a motorcycle race when one motorcyclist came round a bend, lost control, and ploughed into him. The result? Massive personal injury claims made against the insurance company of the motorcycle rider, made even worse that the cameraman had to have his leg amputated after complications to his injury made mending the severe fracture he suffered to his right ankle impossible.
The poor man, who has since been fitted with a prosthetic but can no longer work due to his injuries, says that he’s relieved that he can at least focus on his recovery and rehabilitation thanks to his team of personal injury solicitors going to work for him. The settlement amount the cameraman received is technically ‘undisclosed’ but let’s be honest here: have you ever heard of a compensation award for a motorcycle accident claim, especially one that resulted in an amputation of all things, not be in the tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we’re looking at millions in settlement money over a series of annual payments or something similar.
Can you imagine, though? Just doing your job, sitting on the pavement and capturing footage of the motorbikes as they go by, only to have someone career into you and send you to hospital. Then, imagine being told that your injuries are so bad that you’ve got to have your bloody leg amputated – how in the world do you cope with something like that? This cameraman must have some brass bollocks on him to not even be phased by such an experience; I’d be curled up in a ball on the ground and crying like a sad little schoolboy if the same thing happened to me, let me tell you!
Still, that poor man has earned every penny of his compensation. At least now he can get on with his life and have the funds he needs to adapt to his new condition.