Compensation ordered for paralised biker - Pay out to rider
Thursday, 9th December 1999.
A YOUNG man who was left paralysed when his motorbike went out of control on a rutted and uneven piece of road has been guaranteed "very substantial" compensation for his plight.
Eric Bowman, now 27, was 24 and just starting out on a career as a blacksmith when disaster struck as he rode his Honda along the C427 Beyton Road, near Felsham, Suffolk, on December 2, 1996.
He lost control as he rounded a bend and the motorbike went into a ditch.
He suffered spinal injuries which have left him permanently paralysed from the waist downwards.
Mr Bowman, formerly of Burton End, Haverhill, who now lives in Cangle Junction in the town, sued Suffolk County Council as highway authority for the area.
He claimed it had failed in its duty under the 1980 Highways Act to maintain the road in a safe condition for motorists.
His counsel, Jeffery Burke QC, told the High Court in London the county council had last week "admitted primary liability" for Mr Bowman's accident.
The council, he added, had agreed to pay compensation on the basis of 92.5 per cent of a full valuation of Mr Bowman's claim.Suffolk had also agreed to pay an estimated £60,000 in legal costs.
The announcement guarantees Mr Bowman "very substantial" damages for his plight but the exact amount of the pay-out will have to be assessed at another court hearing unless final settlement terms are agreed in the meantime.
Approving the settlement on the issue of liability, Deputy High Court Judge Harry Wolton QC said: "I am sure all the parties have been well advised."
Mr Bowman said later: "I am extremely happy. It's just a shame it took so long."
He added: "If the council spent the money they spend on defending claims like this on fixing the road, I wouldn't be sitting here in a wheelchair."
Justine Parry, his solicitor, said: "Eric has been extremely brave throughout this case."
Eric Bowman, now 27, was 24 and just starting out on a career as a blacksmith when disaster struck as he rode his Honda along the C427 Beyton Road, near Felsham, Suffolk, on December 2, 1996.
He lost control as he rounded a bend and the motorbike went into a ditch.
He suffered spinal injuries which have left him permanently paralysed from the waist downwards.
Mr Bowman, formerly of Burton End, Haverhill, who now lives in Cangle Junction in the town, sued Suffolk County Council as highway authority for the area.
He claimed it had failed in its duty under the 1980 Highways Act to maintain the road in a safe condition for motorists.
His counsel, Jeffery Burke QC, told the High Court in London the county council had last week "admitted primary liability" for Mr Bowman's accident.
The council, he added, had agreed to pay compensation on the basis of 92.5 per cent of a full valuation of Mr Bowman's claim.Suffolk had also agreed to pay an estimated £60,000 in legal costs.
The announcement guarantees Mr Bowman "very substantial" damages for his plight but the exact amount of the pay-out will have to be assessed at another court hearing unless final settlement terms are agreed in the meantime.
Approving the settlement on the issue of liability, Deputy High Court Judge Harry Wolton QC said: "I am sure all the parties have been well advised."
Mr Bowman said later: "I am extremely happy. It's just a shame it took so long."
He added: "If the council spent the money they spend on defending claims like this on fixing the road, I wouldn't be sitting here in a wheelchair."
Justine Parry, his solicitor, said: "Eric has been extremely brave throughout this case."
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