Assault leading to severe head injury - compensation awarded

A 53 year old managing director was assaulted when he attempted to prevent a theft from a company car at his company’s factory.

As a result of the attack he sustained a severe head injury with a fracture to his the front of his skull. MRI scans showed considerable damage.

The man underwent a significant change in personality and has a number of ongoing intellectual problems which exert a major handicap and influence in his day to day activities and affect his personal relationships. He lost all his friends, his marriage broke up and he became alienated from his two children.

At the time of the assault he was managing director and major share holder of a family business founded over 200 years ago. As a result of his growing impairment and radical personality change, the company went into decline culminating in its liquidation. The applicant is now unemployable in all but the most sheltered and sympathetic of settings.

He also sustained total loss of smell and substantial loss of subtle taste which is permanent.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board awarded an amount slightly in excess of £1.3 million.

The personal injury claim involved experts from six medical disciplines and a full range of experts in assessing needs.

NB This injury claim was made under an old scheme which pre dates the scheme that is now in place, under which the maximum amount of compensation payable is £500,000.

Back to case studies