£1.1 Million Compensation for Victim of Drunken Driver

A road worker from Tyneside who was knocked down by a driver who was over the limit has won £1.1 million in compensation for his injuries.

William Kane, 55, had been sent by his employer to work on a highways contract for the Irish Government. He had been out with friends one evening after work when the accident happened. He was crossing the road when he was hit by a car driven by Justin Cherry, who was driving whilst over the legal blood-alcohol level.

Mr Kane suffered 15 serious injuries, including severe brain damage, lacerations of his scalp and multiple fractures. Initially, he was treated in a hospital in County Kildare where he lay in a coma for six weeks, only kept alive by a ventilator. Because of the severity of his injuries doctors feared he would never recover.

When he came out of the coma, Mr Kane was flown to a rehabilitation unit in Doncaster where he faced a further nine months of treatment as he learned to walk and talk again. He now suffers from mental and physical problems. He has poor short and long term memory and has difficulty walking without a cane. It is very unlikely that he will ever be able to work again and he requires regular attention from carers to look after his day-to-day needs.

Mr Kane began legal proceedings in the Irish courts. The driver’s insurance company made a low offer to settle the claim, but this was rejected. Following negotiations, a figure of €1.25 million (£1.1 million) compensation was agreed and this was subsequently approved by the High Court in Dublin.