Serious Injury Experts Praise Parents’ Devotion To Caring For Son

The devoted family of a 19-year-old man who suffered a serious brain injury when a young driver ploughed into him have spoken of their relief after a High Court hearing today (22 November) saw him granted a package worth over £23 million to fund his ongoing rehabilitation and care, believed to be the highest ever agreed.

The injured man, named as AXQ in court papers as he cannot be named for legal reasons, was just 16 when he suffered appalling injuries and irreparable brain damage that left his family terrified he would not survive.

AXQ’s family kept a vigil at his bedside willing him to pull through, and after nine months in hospital he returned home where he remains reliant on a wheelchair and needing round-the-clock care.

The family instructed serious injury experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell to help AXQ gain access to the specialist rehabilitation, physiotherapy and support he needs. They say they can now fully concentrate on his recovery after a judge at the High Court in London approved the multi-million pounds settlement funded by the driver’s insurers.

AXQ will receive a £9 million lump sum to help fund specialist equipment, rehabilitation, loss of earnings and adaptations that have been made to the family home. There will also be annual payments of £250,000 for the rest of his life to pay for a team of specialist carers.

Alison Eddy, a Partner and serious injury expert at Irwin Mitchell’s London office representing the family, said: “Our client suffered devastating injuries as a result of the driver losing control of his car and his family have shown a tremendous amount of love, dedication and support to help him recover to the point where he is at today.

“When he returned to the family home he was only showing minimal signs of awareness, but his family’s devotion means over the past couple of months he has been able to communicate through writing and gestures and they were thrilled when he managed to say ‘I love you’.

“However, the fact remains that he will need round the clock one-to-one care for the rest of his life because of the brain injury he suffered.

“The family is grateful that the driver’s insurance company quickly admitted liability and agreed a collaborative approach which meant we could arrange a series of interim payments to fund an early intensive rehabilitation programme and help the family make adaptations to their home so AXQ could be cared for there.”

His dad said: “The moment I took the phone call and heard my son had been in an accident our lives changed forever. We ran to find him and arrived before the emergency services and I’ll never forget the scene that met us. It was like something out of a TV drama and I can only describe it as absolute carnage.

“We clung to him, willing him to live until the emergency services arrived and we then had weeks of worry as to whether he would survive the next day. Thankfully he pulled through, but the brain damage was so severe we knew none of our lives would be the same again.

“My wife and I spent as much time as we could at the hospital caring for our son and trying to stimulate his senses as much as possible.

“It was a huge relief when Irwin Mitchell secured substantial interim payments which meant we could bring him home. He’s come on so much since undergoing the early rehabilitation and can interact with his siblings and show emotion. He amazes us every single day and has surpassed all expectations of the medical experts. We’re so proud of him.

“I would do anything in the world to get my son as he was back but sadly that can’t happen. However, the settlement means he will have all the support, rehabilitation and care he needs and deserves for the rest of his life and that gives us huge peace of mind. Now it has concluded we can concentrate fully on helping him with his recovery.” 

Alison Eddy of Irwin Mitchell added: “Each of the family’s lives have been devastated by what happened and sadly nothing will bring him back to the person he once was, but we hope the conclusion of this case means the family can now look to the future knowing AXQ has the adapted home, equipment, therapies and care to give him the best quality of life.”