Post by hans1928 on Aug 8, 2009 18:30:19 GMT
BRITAIN’S growing compensation culture was graphically highlighted yesterday by a staggering £500,000 payout after a police mechanic cut his finger while fixing a patrol car.
Alexander Darg, 39, won a High Court battle against the Metropolitan Police for the injury, which occurred seven years ago.
The civilian technician had been checking an air bag fault in a vehicle when his fingers slid along the blade of a knife wedged between two seats.
Mr Darg cut two fingers - which have long since healed - but the court heard he was left terrified that he had caught HIV.
Provoked
Despite a negative HIV test, Mr Darg went on to demand £1miIlIon in compensation, arguing that the incident had triggered several medical condi¬tions, including chronic regional pain syndrome, which left him unable to work.
The High Court yesterday awarded Mr Darg £400,000, with the Metropolitan Police also expected to foot a £100,000 legal bill.
The huge payout - which dwarfs the paltry sums given to British soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan - provoked a storm of controversy.
Marine Ben McBean, 21, was offered a measly £161,000 after losing an arm and a leg in an ex¬plosion in Afghanistan last year. Although it has since been in¬creased to £281,150, it is still far less than that paid to Mr Darg.
Lance Bombardier Ben Par¬kinson, 24, lost both legs, the use of one arm, his speech and most of his memory in a landmiine blast in 2006. His initial payout of £152,150 was only raised to £546,443 after a public outcry.
Mr Darg, a father-of-two from Meopham, Kent, injured his fingers while working at Lime-house police station in east London in 2002.
In court, the Met’s lawyers accused him of “spicing up” his disabilities and coming to court in search of a “quick bit of cash”. Accusing him of “wanting to be a millionaire”, they attacked his claim as “essentially false” and said he was due compensation only for superficial lacerations.
The Met even secretly filmed him walking his children to and from school, shopping in a DIY store and shooting his air rifle in a competition.
Judge Sir Robert Nelson accepted that Mr. Darg’s disabil¬ities had, to some extent, been exaggerated but ruled that neither he, nor his wife, had been” wholly dishonest”.
Although Mr Darg had made “a better recovery than either he or his wife describes”, the judge said he was nevertheless strick¬en by a “genuine disability”, with unpredictable symptoms which can “flare up at any time”.
The £400,000 award is based on loss of earnings and the cost of Mr Darg’s care.
The Met accepted joint liabili¬ty with Venson PLC, the contrac¬tors who employed Mr Darg.
”
It appears to me that the only person, in a position of suthority, in the Uk, who knows her duty is HM The Queen I know a lot of pensioners, who could do with sums like Mr. Darg received/
John P Mellor OBE., QSM., Riddern van den orde orange nassau, Vier Dienst Kreuz mit bande. President NPC City of Wolverhampton
Alexander Darg, 39, won a High Court battle against the Metropolitan Police for the injury, which occurred seven years ago.
The civilian technician had been checking an air bag fault in a vehicle when his fingers slid along the blade of a knife wedged between two seats.
Mr Darg cut two fingers - which have long since healed - but the court heard he was left terrified that he had caught HIV.
Provoked
Despite a negative HIV test, Mr Darg went on to demand £1miIlIon in compensation, arguing that the incident had triggered several medical condi¬tions, including chronic regional pain syndrome, which left him unable to work.
The High Court yesterday awarded Mr Darg £400,000, with the Metropolitan Police also expected to foot a £100,000 legal bill.
The huge payout - which dwarfs the paltry sums given to British soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan - provoked a storm of controversy.
Marine Ben McBean, 21, was offered a measly £161,000 after losing an arm and a leg in an ex¬plosion in Afghanistan last year. Although it has since been in¬creased to £281,150, it is still far less than that paid to Mr Darg.
Lance Bombardier Ben Par¬kinson, 24, lost both legs, the use of one arm, his speech and most of his memory in a landmiine blast in 2006. His initial payout of £152,150 was only raised to £546,443 after a public outcry.
Mr Darg, a father-of-two from Meopham, Kent, injured his fingers while working at Lime-house police station in east London in 2002.
In court, the Met’s lawyers accused him of “spicing up” his disabilities and coming to court in search of a “quick bit of cash”. Accusing him of “wanting to be a millionaire”, they attacked his claim as “essentially false” and said he was due compensation only for superficial lacerations.
The Met even secretly filmed him walking his children to and from school, shopping in a DIY store and shooting his air rifle in a competition.
Judge Sir Robert Nelson accepted that Mr. Darg’s disabil¬ities had, to some extent, been exaggerated but ruled that neither he, nor his wife, had been” wholly dishonest”.
Although Mr Darg had made “a better recovery than either he or his wife describes”, the judge said he was nevertheless strick¬en by a “genuine disability”, with unpredictable symptoms which can “flare up at any time”.
The £400,000 award is based on loss of earnings and the cost of Mr Darg’s care.
The Met accepted joint liabili¬ty with Venson PLC, the contrac¬tors who employed Mr Darg.
”
It appears to me that the only person, in a position of suthority, in the Uk, who knows her duty is HM The Queen I know a lot of pensioners, who could do with sums like Mr. Darg received/
John P Mellor OBE., QSM., Riddern van den orde orange nassau, Vier Dienst Kreuz mit bande. President NPC City of Wolverhampton