Great Barton motorcyclist launches High Court compensation case after road collision
A Great Barton motorcyclist has launched a High Court legal battle for compensation of more than £300,000 after he was badly injured in an accident.
Ashley Risk, 57, suffered a devastating injury to his left leg and has lost the use of his left kidney after the accident on July 26, 2019, according to a writ issued at the court in London and just made publicly available.
The writ says he had been riding his Honda CB 600 machine along the B1085 when a cement lorry driven by Westley Cantrell pulled out in front of him without checking.
Mr Cantrell, of Whitby Avenue, Eye, Peterborough, pleaded guilty at Ipswich Magistrates Court on March 17, 2020, to careless driving.
The writ says that insurers Equity Red Star admitted liability for the accident on June 18, 2020, but the court is being called in to assess how much Mr Risk should receive in compensation.
Mr Risk accuses Mr Cantrell of negligently driving too fast, failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to proceed with care, and failing to warn of his intentions.
He also negligently failed to avoid the collision, drove into collision, failed to give way, and emerged from a side road onto the main carriageway when it was unsafe, it is alleged.
After the accident, Mr Risk was rushed to hospital where he was treated in intensive care, and needed ventilation. His injuries included ten fractured ribs, lung injuries, bruising around his heart, and internal injuries as well as fractured left shoulder blade.
During his stay in hospital, he developed hospital-acquired pneumonia, pancreatitis, and a blood clot on the artery leading to his lung, and he went on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Now he is seeking damages, and provisional damages allowing him to return to court to seek more compensation if his condition worsens and he develops chronic kidney disease, or end stage kidney disease.
The writ says that Mr Risk 'expects to receive unlimited damages in excess of £300,000.'
