A man left brain damaged when he tripped in a pothole has won an estimated £1 million in damages.
Kyle Bullock, 33, was on his way home with friends when he fell in Crouch End in 2007. He was lagging behind and jogged to catch up before stumbling in the three-inch deep, 15-inch wide pothole.
He spent four months in hospital after suffering a severe brain injury and is now confined to a wheelchair and needs full-time care.
Following the accident Mr Bullock, 37, a charity worker from Streatham, split with his fiancée and was unable to work. He developed epilepsy and decided to return to Sydney, where his mother and many of his friends are based, to continue his rehabilitation.
Homes for Haringey, a subsidiary of Haringey council, initially denied responsibility for the accident, although they accepted that they had not maintained Lightfoot Road to a proper standard. In 2008 the council agreed to pay 72.5 per cent of Mr Bullock’s full claim value, and after five years of negotiations, the final figure was approved at the High Court this week.
His solicitor is Jill Greenfield, partner and head of the catastrophic injury claims unit at Field Fisher Waterhouse, said he had received “substantial” damages for the council’s “shocking” shortcomings.
Haringey said it had introduced a comprehensive maintenance programme to prevent such accidents happening again.
