Compensation vital for brain injury rehabilitation and care

Kevin Morrice, 45, suffered life-changing injuries after a collision between two cars in the north of Scotland.

He spent 18 months recovering in hospital before being allowed home to Lybster in Caithness.

His mum Sydney and dad George had to buy a specially adapted house to help with their son’s mobility and communication needs.

The care package secured by Digby Brown Solicitors helped make this possible and meant Sydney could provide her son with the care he deserved.

“If we didn’t have the compensation, Kevin wouldn’t be where he is today. He has come a long way and with more treatment, I know he will continue to get better and live the best life he can.”

The Morrice family’s world changed forever on the afternoon of 30 January when the car Kevin was a passenger in crashed in Murkle, Thurso.

As well as suffering a brain injury, he suffered multiple fractures to his spine and internal injuries to his organs.

“When we arrived at the hospital in Aberdeen, they told us Kevin was in a bad way.

“If he did pull through, they said he would be an invalid, bed bound for the rest of his life.

“I remember George’s face was white as a ghost. When I first saw my son lying in the hospital bed I thought they had got it all wrong as it didn’t look like my Kevin.

“But then I looked again and realised that was him lying there. I found it hard and struggled to understand how someone so full of life could end up the way he had."

“But we came to terms with what happened and accepted that he will simply never be the same.”

Kevin spent four months at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before being transferred to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for a further four months.

He was then finally moved to Caithness Hospital to be closer to family as he completed his rehabilitation, before finally being allowed home in July 2013. 

However Kevin could no longer work, walk independently and struggled to speak or even swallow. 

As Kevin no longer had capacity to make life decisions, his parents were appointed as his financial guardians. 

Once the guardianship order was in place, it helped Sydney and George hire support workers to help with the round-the-clock hands-on care their son needed.

“Life became about Kevin – looking after him and making sure he had everything he needed.

“We were determined Kevin wouldn’t go into a care home. The interim payment allowed Kevin to get the rehabilitation he needed and eventually move into a house close by where he could have his own carers and this made a big difference.

“I was conscious Kevin’s injuries were very serious and we needed to make sure he was cared for.”

Sydney and George later attended a local support group run by brain injury support charity Headway – it was here they discovered Digby Brown and the care and compensation they could be entitled to.

Our expert solicitor Stuart Barton investigated the incident and consulted with medical and financial experts to fully assess the impact the accident had on the lives of Kevin and his parents – this also meant any future support needs could be fully considered. 

Stuart, Partner in our Serious Injury Department, discovered the driver that caused the crash admitted driving without due care and attention after trying to overtake a car that was already overtaking another vehicle.  

The investigations undertaken by our expert solicitors meant liability was admitted at an early stage allowing us to secure an immediate payment to help put measures in place early on to help with Kevin’s needs at home.

A case manager was also appointed who was able to help identify what support Kevin needed and help guide Sydney and George to ensure that Kevin was getting the right help and support. 

With Stuart fighting for the Morrice family, the insurance company of the convicted driver made an offer to settle the civil action – however this was rejected as it was too low.

The insurance company then offered a little more and tried to have it arranged so that only so much was paid out every year – but again, this was rejected.

After standing firm during the negotiations, Stuart eventually settled the case for a multi-million pound sum that was paid in full. This will help ensure Kevin has the care he needs now, and for the rest of his life. 

“From the very first meeting with Stuart I was very impressed.

“He was lovely to deal with and I knew he was doing his best and working for the good of Kevin – Stuart has been absolutely brilliant all the way through the case.

“Kevin is a totally different person now – he is still dependent on his wheelchair but much more mobile. His speech is very slow but starting to come back.

“We have watched other people in a similar situation struggle but we were lucky we got Stuart to help Kevin and I would recommend Digby Brown to anyone.”