When a loved one dies due to another's negligence, the impact on their family is unquantifiable in money terms. However, as a case concerning a father of two who was killed in a road accident showed, personal injury lawyers do all in their power to soften the blow for those who are left behind.
The man, aged in his 40s, was cycling to work when a vehicle hit him from behind, inflicting fatal injuries. Left to grieve were his wife and two children, the younger of them aged just five. After the family took legal action, the motorist's insurers admitted liability for the accident in full.
Following hard-fought negotiations, a £2.3 million lump-sum settlement of the claim was agreed. In approving that agreement, the High Court noted that the calculation of damages in such cases is not an exact science. A professional assessment was required of what the future might have held had the man survived and continued to provide financially for his family.
Offering its sincere condolences, the Court noted that it was impossible to imagine the impact that the man's death at such a young age had on his loved ones. No amount of money could compensate for their loss, but the settlement brought the proceedings to an end without the need for a contested trial and offered the family some financial security for the future. The Court agreed that £50,000 of the settlement sum should be set aside for the younger child.