£4m Awarded to Cyclist Ploughed Into By Land Rover

19/01/2012

The wife of a professional tennis coach has made a plea for all motorists to take extra care to protect other road users following her husband being awarded more than £4m at the High Court to fund his future rehabilitation and care.  Patrice Gougam, 55, was catastrophically injured when he was thrown from his bike by a Land Rover in November 2009.

The Land Rover driver was jailed for 8 months in October 2010, after initially fleeing the scene of the accident claiming that he didn’t see Mr Gougam.

After the near fatal accident, Mr Gougam required hospital treatment for 21 months.  He now requires 24/7 care due to being left tetraplegic, requires feeding through a tube and is wheelchair dependant.
His wife Virginia Gougam said that they could now look to move forward with their lives knowing that he would receive the very best quality of care after winning their battle for justice with the help of serious injury experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The funds mean he will be able to live as decent a life as possible in spite of his devastating injuries at the couple’s new, specially adapted home in High Barnet, London.

The Land Rover ploughed into Mr Gougam as he cycled along the A100 on 12th November 2009, causing him to suffer a very severe traumatic brain injury. He remained at The National Hospital in London for over six months, the first three weeks in a coma before being moved to two specialist rehabilitation units and was eventually discharged, 21 months after the accident.

Mr Gougam has required two carers around the clock since leaving hospital, initially one of these being Mrs Gougam due to a lack of space and facilities in the couple’s home.  Under the obvious strain of this she battled to find an alternative home with disabled access so they could remain living together and have the space required for themselves and carers to stay.

Speaking on behalf of the Gougam family following the hearing, Stephanie Clarke, Serious Injury Expert at Irwin Mitchell said: “This was a tragic, wholly avoidable incident which has devastated not only Patrice’s life but that of his wife who has spent the last two years dedicated to ensuring he receives the best possible care.”

“We are delighted with the result handed down here at Court and the settlement which has been carefully structured to make sure Mr Gougam has enough money to ensure he has access to the very best, specialist, 24-hour care and support he will now need for the rest of his life.”
In a plea to other motorists, Stephanie went on to say: “Patrice Gougam was a keen cyclist and was passionate about his sport."

”Mrs Gougam dearly wishes other motorists to be more aware and patient of cyclists on London's busy roads so as to reduce the increasing number of tragic news stories covering both fatalities and life changing injuries sustained by pedal cyclists in and around the capital.”
Mrs Gougam was praised by the High Court Judge in his judgement for the “extraordinary care, love and support for her husband and her determination to do everything she could for his care and rehabilitation”. « Back to news « Back to news Back To Top