A record-breaking £23m in damages has been awarded to a 20-year-old man left paralysed in a Guernsey road accident – surpassing the previous highest personal injury settlement held by Commonwealth Games cyclist Manny Helmot.
The victim, referred to as ‘JG,’ was a passenger in a VW Golf driven by ‘AC’ when the driver lost control in December 2021, resulting in a devastating crash.
JG suffered a complete spinal cord injury and is now paralysed from the neck down.
Mr Helmot, who was struck by a car during a training ride in 1998, received a then-unprecedented £14m payout in 2010.
Adjusted for inflation, that would be worth approximately £19.5m today.
Following the crash, JG was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital for emergency treatment before undergoing specialist spinal injury rehabilitation at the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital.
London-based law firm Stewarts, working with Guernsey’s Walkers, took on his case and secured early access to nearly £3m to fund his rehabilitation and allow him to purchase and adapt a new home.
Shortly after legal proceedings began in the Royal Court of Guernsey, the parties reached a final lump sum settlement of £23m.
Chris Deacon, a Partner in International Injury at Stewarts, said: “The level of settlement agreed in JG’s case reflects his young age, long life expectancy, requirement for two carers at certain times during the day to meet his care needs safely, and the prevailing economic factors in Guernsey.”
He added: “The cost of providing specialist spinal cord injury care has risen sharply in recent years and comes with added challenges on a small island with limited resources for spinal injuries such as Guernsey.”