Car Crash Damages

A young man has been awarded £3.5 million damages for devastating injuries sustained when he was hit by a car while walking along a road in the early hours.

Carl Wood, now 21, was struck on the northbound carriageway of the A21, near Pembury, Kent, at 1am on 4 April 2004.

He suffered severe brain damage as a result of skull fractures, and also broke his pelvis and right ankle. He now needs constant care.

Mr Wood's parents, Kevin and Nadine, were at London's High Court for the settlement of the action, on the agreed basis of 50/50 liability, against the insurers of motorist Hanafi Kops, of Paddock Wood, Kent.

Mr Justice Cranston told the couple, from Tunbridge Wells, that they were "catastrophic" injuries and the only reassurance in such a tragic case was the care that they and the rest of the family had provided for Carl.

"I can only wish them all the best for the future with their son," he said.

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