A young Newcastle man who was left severely disabled after a car accident has been awarded a £6.3 million compensation settlement by the High Court in London, the largest personal injury payout in history for the North East.
David Dei-Ceci, 23 was on his way to a camping trip in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, on 12 October 2002, when the driver of the car he was travelling in lost control on the A68 near Bingfield. The car careered off the road, crashed into a field and overturned.
Mr Dei-Ceci, who was only 17 years old when the accident occurred, was thrown from the car and sustained serious brain injuries. Great North Air Ambulance was called to the scene and medics feared he would not survive the journey. He was taken to Newcastle General Hospital where he spent three weeks in intensive care.
Mr Dei-Ceci had just left college prior to the accident and had hoped to start work as a mechanic, but he will never work again as a result of this accident. He now needs full-time care.
Through his mother, Pamela Dei-Ceci, from Howdon, David made a claim against the insurers of the driver of the car, Samantha Armstrong from Wallsend, North Tyneside.
John Davis, a partner and neurotrauma specialist at Irwin Mitchell solicitors in Newcastle represented Mr Dei-Ceci He stated that the huge payout reflected Mr Dei-Ceci’s condition.
He said: “The huge payout has been carefully calculated to meet David Dei-Ceci’s demanding care needs, now and for the rest of his life. David defied the odds and medical opinion to survive the crash but has been left with terrible injuries and will never work again. We are delighted to have been able to secure such a settlement for David, whose life has been altered indescribably by what happened.”
Mrs Justice Dobbs awarded the settlement at a brief hearing attended by Pamela Dei-Ceci. She told Mrs Dei-Ceci: “It has obviously been a difficult six years for you and I hope that this settlement will help to make life easier for you and please accept the good wishes of the court.”
The award of £6.3 million compensation will be managed by the Court of Protection and can only be used to provide Mr Dei-Ceci with the care and comforts he requires.