The Motor Insurers’ Bureau has paid compensation to a motorcyclist brain damaged in an accident

Posted 15/03/2010

A motorcyclist who was injured by an uninsured driver has been awarded a multi-million pound compensation settlement.

Stuart Bridges, 53, had been riding his bike in Manchester city centre when the incident occurred in October 2006, the Manchester Evening News reports.

He was hit by a car being driven by Carli Bates, now 24, and was thrown from the vehicle before hitting a bollard head-first.

As a result, he now needs round-the-clock care for his brain damage, balance and mobility problems and will never recover.

When Ms Bates was found to be driving without insurance, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) stood in to compensate him as they are required to do in any accident where the driver at fault has no insurance or can’t be traced.

Mr Bridge has now been awarded a lump sum of £1.25 million, plus £57,000 a year to cover the cost of his special needs. That figure was achieved after hard negotiating by his personal injury solicitors with the MIB to ensure the award met his needs.

Simon Davis of the personal injury department of Ashtons Legal confirms that anyone affected by a road traffic accident involving an uninsured driver should get in touch with the MIB through a specialist personal injury solicitor:

“It is essential that any claimant has expert help in presenting and quantifying their level of need to ensure there is enough to pay others to provide the care and support needed after such awful injuries. The MIB imposes strict time limits and procedures on claims against them – your solicitor needs to know these.”

The MIB was established in 1946 by the motor insurance industry to provide compensation for innocent road users injured by motorists without insurance, once RTA insurance became compulsory.