£1 million Compensation award
Matthew Watton, from Telford, has received just under a million compensation following a terrible accident when he literally came within an inch of his life. Matthew was crushed and seriously injured when a tipper truck toppled on to its side trapping him against a pile of rubble on a Shifnal building site in May 2005. He was flown by air ambulance to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where he remained for several weeks.
As a result of the accident, Mr Watton suffered numerous injuries including a head injury and damage to his teeth. However, the most serious injury was to his left leg which was so badly injured that a below the knee amputation was required.
Neil Lorimer, Partner and personal injury specialist at Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors was instructed to pursue a claim on behalf of Mr Watton for compensation for his injuries. Neil comments "The truck owner’s insurance company accepted that the accident had been caused through negligence and breaches of health and safety law. The accident has been a terrible ordeal for Mr Watton, I am delighted that we have been able to use our expertise to ensure Mr Watton had interim payments during his recovery and has secured the compensation he deserved in a remarkably short time frame. We were able to settle the claim with the Defendants in less than two years from the date of the accident, which is a massive achievement in cases of this size. We hope that the money will help to secure Mr Watton and his family’s future and also go someway to compensate him for his terrible ordeal. "
Positive thinking Mr Watton was a keen sportsman before the accident and despite his terrible injuries his excellent prosthesis has allowed him to take up a football coaching position at a local school. Mr Watton comments " I refused to allow my injuries to stop me from leading a full and active life. If I can act as a role model for others I am delighted. I would like to thank Neil Lorimer at Lanyon Bowdler. Using his expertise he secured me the financial support I needed during my recovery which enabled me to buy a suitably adapted vehicle and a state of the art prosthesis. The speed of the final settlement is in no small amount due to his hard work and genuine passion to help. I get enormous satisfaction in seeing children enjoy sport, and am hoping to work with disable and disadvantaged children aswell".