Criminal Injury Compensation Helps Man Rebuild his Life and Start New Career

Posted on Jul 01, 2009 
 

A former ambulance technician is using the £100,000 he was awarded in criminal injury compensation to retrain as a nurse.  
 
 
37 year old Nick Horobin from Uttoxeter lost one of his eyes when thugs threw a concrete block through the window of his ambulance 8 years ago. Mr Horobin was driving the ambulance at the time and lost control of the vehicle, causing it to swerve and crash into a hedge.  
 
As a result of the accident, his right eyeball was ruptured and had to removed. Mr Horobin also suffered several fractures to his skull which had to be repaired with 18 metal plates. He was in hospital for six weeks while surgeons battled to save his eye and, although he now has an artificial eye, he may need further surgery.  
 
His disability has meant that he has had to retire as an ambulance technician because you are not allowed to drive an ambulance if you have only one eye. Mr Horobin was obviously devastated by this and even though he was able to work on the ambulance switchboard it just wasn't the same as being out there in the ambulance and working with the public.  
 
However, the £100,000 he received in compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has allowed him to pay off his mortgage and follow his new dream of working as a nurse.  
 
Mr Horobin has secured a university place at Staffordshire University to train as a nurse and has been assured that his disability will not prevent him from following a career in nursing. Mr Horobin says:  
 
"It feels brilliant to finally be on the road to a career again, it's three years down the line and it will be hard work, but it will be worth it in the end."  
 
Mr Horobin believes that the gang of thugs were lying in wait for a vehicle to go past and they threw the lump of concrete through his window as he was taking a patient to hospital. No one was ever apprehended for the attack so Mr Horobin had to claim criminal injury compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. He was originally offered £40,000 and then £67,000 but rejected these offers because they did not reflect the severity of the injuries he had sustained in the attack.  
 
His boss, Tim Slater, the Derbyshire service delivery manager for the East Midlands Ambulance Service said of Mr Horobin's accident:  
 
"This was cruelly cut short by the horrific incident, so I am very pleased to learn that Nick has another opportunity to develop a career in what he did so well - caring for others. This demonstrates a remarkable strength in character."