A hit and run victim who was left paralysed by a road traffic accident has been awarded £4m in compensation.
Patrice Gougam, a tennis coach and keen cyclist, almost died when he was hit by a driver while travelling on the Great North Road in 2009.
Mr Gougam, 55, was in a coma for three weeks and was treated at the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology for six months following the crash. He received care from two specialist units, has spent a total of 21 months receiving medical care, and, due to the accident, is now tube fed and uses a wheelchair for mobility.
The driver of the Land Rover that caused the accident, Michael Elliot, 66, should not have been driving at the time. He was being treated for two eye conditions, glaucoma, and cataracts.
Elliot was jailed for eight months and claimed he never saw Mr Gougam at the time of the accident.
The injury solicitors who acted on behalf of Mr Gougam and secured the compensation at the High Court passed on a request from his wife: “She dearly wishes other motorists to be more aware and patient of cyclists on London’s busy roads, so as to reduce the increasing number of tragic stories covering both fatalities and life-changing injuries sustained by cyclists.”
Mrs Gaugam earned praise from the presiding judge who said her “extraordinary care, love and support for her husband, and her determination to do everything she could for his care and rehabilitation”.
She cares for her husband and also works part-time.
