A paralyzed man who was involved in a car crash has been awarded a record £11.15 million in a personal injury compensation payout. This award went to Wasim Mohammed, and is thought to be the highest ever personal injury compensation claim settlement in the UK.

Twenty two-year old Wasim Mohammed, who comes from Walsall, near Birmingham, suffered terrible injuries from a 2006 road traffic accident – RTA. He was a passenger in a car which was involved in a collision when its driver attempted overtaking at a junction, but ended up hitting another vehicle that was turning right. Mr. Mohammed suffered a broken neck, as well as damage to his spinal cord. He also has little function in his arms and no movement in his legs. The driver was travelling in excess of the speed limit when the accident occurred.

With the aid of his personal injury lawyers, Mr. Mohammed was able to obtain his compensation claim settlement – the highest ever in the UK, totaling £11.15 million, while the driver was convicted of careless driving. Mr. Mohamed received assistance in his case from Daniel Herman, a specialist in catastrophic injury based in Leeds. This personal injury claim was due to be heard last week by the Birmingham County Court, but an out of court settlement was agreed in advance, as often happens in large compensatory cases.

This huge injury claim settlement will provide Mr. Mohamed with a lump sum of £4.25 million, as well as annual payments of £235,000. These large payouts are aimed at compensating the great cost of care that the victim will have to bear for the rest of his life. Due to the devastating injuries, Mr. Mohammed now requires the aid of two carers to help him manage his day to day activities.

This enormous compensation payout was based on the extreme suffering and impact on Mr. Mohamed’s life, as well as the costs of long term care, loss of earnings and a host of other factors. Part of this settlement is targeted at building a house for Mr. Mohammed opposite his parent’s home, in order to enable him to be near them in old age. Mr. Mohammed comes from a traditional Pakistani family whose culture dictates that the eldest son remains in the family home to look after the parents in old age. Building the home to be nearby them was judged to be the next best thing as Mr. Mohammed can no longer care for his parents.