Man Speaks For First Time About Battle To Overcome Injuries After Instructing Irwin Mitchell

A car passenger nearly killed in a high-speed horror crash has spoken for the first time of how his injuries have left his life, and the lives of his family, in ‘turmoil’.

Ryan Plimmer sustained a catalogue of injuries including a torn aorta, bleed on the brain, torn liver, burst bladder and a broken pelvis as well as leg and arm fractures, when a driver travelling at more than 80mph in a 30mph zone lost control of a car he was travelling in.

The 22-year-old, of Netherton, Dudley, spent five weeks in hospital and is expected to face several years of specialist rehabilitation to try and overcome his injuries.

Ryan, is now joining his legal team at Irwin Mitchell in supporting Road Safety Week and is warning of the life-changing consequences caused by speeding.

Katie Flatman, a specialist serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, is seeking to help Ryan access funds to pay for his rehabilitation.

Expert Opinion

“Ryan’s life, and the lives of his family, have been turned upside down by the reckless actions of the driver who despite pleas to slow down was intent on speeding.

“Ryan has made great progress considering the seriousness of his injuries but he still faces a lengthy battle to try and overcome the multitude of injuries sustained in the crash the best he can.

“With our work in helping those injured on the roads through no fault of their own, we regularly see the devastating impact speeding can have on people’s lives. Ryan’s story is the latest example of this.

“Both Irwin Mitchell and Ryan are proud to support Brake’s Road Safety Week. We join Ryan in urging selfish and irresponsible drivers who think it is acceptable to break the law to stick to the speed limit and help reduce the number of people seriously hurt or killed because of speeding.” Katie Flatman - Solicitor

Ryan, who worked at Asda in Brierley Hill at the time of the accident, had been on a night out when a former school friend text him to say he would pick him up to take him home. The pair had not long got back in touch after going their separate ways after leaving school.

Ryan got into the car which he did not know had been stolen a week previously in Leamington Spa. The driver who was driving normally then suddenly decided to speed up.

Despite repeated pleas from the passengers to slow, the driver continued to speed and he was captured on CCTV travelling on the wrong side of the road at speeds which were calculated by the police as being in excess of 80mph in a 30mph zone. As the black Ford Fiesta hurtled towards a bridge in Halesowen Road, Netherton, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a telegraph pole with such ferocity that it was catapulted into the canal below.

Two other passengers who were in the car when Ryan got in also suffered life-changing injuries in the crash which happened just before 5am on 19 March.

Ryan has so far undergone nine surgical procedures and was confined to a wheelchair for some weeks after the accident.  Ryan still has limited mobility and uses crutches when walking or standing.

The true extent of his brain injury is not yet know and Ryan is under the care of a Neurosurgeon at the QE Hospital in Birmingham. Ryan now has a stent graft due to the injury to his aorta.  It is not yet known what the long-term implications of this are going to be.  He also needs to attend regular hospital appointments as doctors monitor his recovery from the extensive fractures.

Ryan said: “If I had known that the car was stolen there was no way on earth I would have accepted a lift home. The consequences of accepting that lift have thrown my life into turmoil.

“I’m trying to remain strong and concentrate on my recovery but it’s difficult when the doctors don’t yet know how much of a recovery I may make. 

“I know all too well the terrible impact that speeding has. I now just hope that motorists also see the misery and pain they inflict on others and their families by speeding and in future stick to the limit”. 

National Road Safety Week is being organised by Brake and runs from 20-26 November. The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Speed Down Save Lives.’

Timothy Pascall, then 21, of Netherton, who was driving the Fiesta when Ryan was hurt, was jailed for five years in May after he pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling road traffic accident claims.