Serious Injury Lawyers Help Father-To-Be Rediscover His Life

An IT engineer who suffered life-threatening head injuries when a Porsche he was a passenger in smashed into a parked lorry has called for drivers to take more care on the roads as he looks to get his life back on track.

Simon Manchester, 30, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, suffered a brain injury, severe cuts to his head, a broken thigh bone and was knocked unconscious when the Porsche Boxster, driven by a work colleague, collided with a parked lorry on the A610 near junction 26 of the M1 on 12 December 2012.

The work colleague was convicted of careless driving following which his licence was endorsed with penalty points and he was fined. The police had initially tried to secure a conviction for the relatively new offence of dangerous driving causing serious injury.

Following the incident, Simon was rushed, by ambulance, to the Accident and Emergency Department at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where they performed emergency surgery on his injuries. The treating clinicians discovered that Simon had suffered from a collapsed lung and that he was also suffering from severe internal bleeding.

Due to concerns over Simon’s lungs, he was put on life support and kept in a coma as he was suffering from pneumonia following the operation. During this time Simon’s fiancée, Michelle, who he also has a child with, was informed several times that ‘he may not make it’ and to be ‘prepared for the worst’.

Simon spent six weeks in intensive care before being transferred to Nottingham City Hospital to spend three weeks at the neuro-rehabilitation unit to help repair his memory and other cognitive difficulties he faced.

Simon regained consciousness after six weeks but knowing he had a huge recovery battle in front of him, he instructed expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who quickly secured an admission of liability from the driver’s insurers for the crash.

Irwin Mitchell has now obtained interim payments to cover Simon’s loss of earnings and to help him access the intensive rehabilitation and treatment he needs while a full settlement is agreed.

Expert Opinion

Simon was very seriously injured in the road traffic incident and his life was turned upside down. He had a young family to provide for financially but also faced a long process of rehabilitation and recovery from his injuries.

“From the outset, we have pushed hard for an admission of liability so that we could secure interim payments to implement a rehabilitation programme as soon as possible to maximise Simon’s recovery. Research has proven that the earlier injury victims receive specialist rehabilitation the better their future prospects are.

“We will now be working to secure a full settlement for Simon to help cover his lost earnings and help provide funds which will ensure he can continue his rehabilitation process. But compensation is only part of the story and we have been able to assist Simon with practical issues his injury has thrown up.”
David Withers - Partner, ATE Product Manager and BTE Relationship Partner

Irwin Mitchell has arranged further support from a neuropsychologist and an occupational therapist from More Rehab Ltd in Sheffield to assist with his rehabilitation. Ruth Moore, a client liaison manager at Irwin Mitchell, also supported Simon with the practical difficulties he suffered with following the incident.

Now, just over a year after being on a life support machine, the couple are expecting their second child and Simon has been able to return to his work.
Since the accident he still suffers from pain in his right leg due to muscle damage and suffers with sciatica in his left leg following damage to his spine. Simon has also suffered from communication and memory issues and is continuing to receive support from specialists.

Simon, who has been with his partner Michelle for nine years, said: “I really don’t remember much from the accident at all. I remember telling the driver to slow down and I can recall seeing the hydraulics of the truck we were heading towards.

“My next memory is waking up in hospital weeks later. It was incredibly upsetting and frustrating when it was explained that I had been in a coma and nearly died.
“I am a very determined man and although they were providing a great service I just wanted to get out of the hospital and spend time with my fiancé and my daughter.

“This was all the motivation I needed, and along with the great rehabilitation support that Irwin Mitchell’s serious injury team has arranged, I was able to return to work much quicker than expected.

“I still have a long way to go as I seek to fully recover but now my fiancé and family can continue to pull through this.
 
“I want to raise awareness of road safety and ask all drivers to be aware of the consequences of driving at speed. My family and I have been through hell and I can put my hand on my heart and say you really wouldn’t want to be in my position, so all drivers need to take care to prevent more accidents like this from happening.”