A teenager who suffered serious brain injuries in a fatal car crash was last week told he would receive full compensation after an Appeal Court ruling.
William Stanton, who was 16 at the time of the accident, was a front-seat passenger in his friend’s Vauxhall Astra when the driver lost control in Swinton in May 2003.
The Vauxhall swerved across the road and smashed head-on into a Peugeot 406.
Both vehicles were turned 180 degrees by the force of the impact and the Vauxhall rolled over before coming to a rest on its roof.
The driver, Matthew Collinson, 24, died at the scene of the crash. His three other passengers – Amy Stimson, then 16, Robert Pearson, then 18, and Rebecca Hart, then 15 – were all injured.
William, now 22, suffered serious personal injuries to his head and right hand which will badly affect him for the rest of his life.
He is making a car accident claim, demaning a seven-figure payout from Mr Collinson’s motor insurers to help pay for his future medical needs and care.
However, lawyers on behalf of the insurance company said that William was not wearing a seatbelt and Miss Hart was seated on his lap in the front passenger seat at the time of the accident.
Despite the fact he was only 16 at the time, they argued that William should be found up to 40 per cent liable for the injuries he suffered and the amount of damages reduced as a result.
However, the judge’s at London’s Appeal Court decided even had he been wearing a seatbelt, he probably would have been badly injured anyway.
