Published at 14:13, Thursday, 21 February 2008

A TEENAGER who suffered horrific injuries in a car crash at Bingfield has been awarded a multi-million pound pay-out by the High Court in London.

David Dei-Ceci was 17 and on his way to a camping trip at Kielder in October 12, 2002 when the accident happened.

He was a passenger in a car travelling along the A68 at Bingfield when the vehicle left the road.

Mr Dei-Ceci, from Newcastle, was thrown from the vehicle and sustained serious brain injuries, leaving him requiring round-the-clock, live-in care for the rest of his life.

Newcastle law firm Irwin Mitchell secured a settlement of £6.3m to cover the cost of 23-year-old Mr Dei-Ceci’s future care needs at the High Court in London.

The claim was made against the insurers of the driver of the car, Samantha Armstrong.

Managing partner and neurotrauma specialist at Irwin Mitchell in Newcastle John Davis, said the award reflected Mr Cei-Ceci’s condition.

He said: “This is a huge pay-out and is the largest ever to be awarded in the North-East, but it has been carefully calculated to meet David Dei-Ceci’s demanding care needs, now and for the rest of his life.

“David defied the odds – and medical opinion – to survive the crash but has been left with terrible injuries and will never be able to work again.

“Irwin Mitchell has worked hard to ensure the settlement reflected this.

“The Dei-Ceci family will not be sitting on a pot of gold.

“The pay-out will be held and managed by the court of protection and can only be used to help provide care and comfort for David.

“We are delighted to have been able to secure such a settlement for David, whose life has been altered indescribably by what happened.”

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk