Former Community Fire Support Officer Now Charity Committee Member

The “stubbornness” of a former Community Fire Support Officer helped him secure a place at university as he continues to recover from a brain injury sustained in a motorcycle accident.

Geoff Sackville-Wiggins from Dock Acres, Warton, was in a coma for four weeks after the motorbike he was travelling on with his daughter was involved in a collision with a Land Rover-sized vehicle in Carnforth.

Fortunately, his daughter only sustained a scratch to her knee, but Geoff, who was 33 at the time, suffered far worse injuries including damage to his right arm and a severe brain injury.

Ten years on, Geoff is still on a lot of medication but he is determined to live his life as best he can, having successfully secured a place at university in the hope of becoming a qualified counsellor to help other people with brain injuries.  He is also a committee member for his local group of brain injury charity Headway.

Following the accident, Geoff instructed specialist injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to support him in accessing the treatments, therapies and rehabilitation he required to help him get back on track.

Expert Opinion

“The last ten years have been terribly difficult for Geoff, but his determination has helped him overcome a lot of the issues he faced following his accident.

It would be so easy for someone in his situation to give up, but he has shown such strength in getting his life back, and I am so proud to know that we have helped him in some way. Hopefully others in a similar situation will take note of how Geoff has fought back and it will give them the confidence to improve too.”
Sally Murphy - Senior Associate Solicitor

Geoff has come a long way since his accident but finds that fatigue is still a “major obstacle” in his recovery – something which many people who have suffered serious head injuries face.

He said: “Since the accident, my life has changed dramatically and I have suffered a lot from tiredness and the need to sleep a lot. It makes it difficult to hold down a job and it’s also an invisible symptom so other people don’t always notice it.

“Despite this, I managed to get into university in the hope of becoming a qualified counsellor for people suffering from a brain injury, and I also became a nail technician for a while. 

“As well as all the education I have completed, I am on the committee of the local Headway group in Lancaster and Morecambe after being introduced to them by Irwin Mitchell, and I have been the joint vice chair as well.

“I am also a keen photographer and have just become a Mason, which I really enjoy. 

“I am determined to make my life the best I can, and the consultants who have dealt with me have said it is down to my fitness and stubbornness that I have been able to advance to where I am today.”

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