Graham Leesmith aged 29 of Kings Lynn, Norfolk, has won £1.7million in compensation after he lost a limb after a road crash in October 2003. He was today awarded his compensation at London’s High Court, after a 5 year legal battle.
At the time of the accident he was riding a motorcycle on the A246 near Leatherhead, Surrey. A car driven by Gordon Evans of New Malden, south London emerged from a side road on his left and in the subsequent accident Mr Leesmith suffered severe damage to his left leg.
Attempts to save his leg failed and two weeks following the accident he then had to undergo a surgical amputation through the left knee. He then sought damages from the insurers of the motorist whose car hit him.
At the time of the accident Mr Leesmith was living in Woking, Surrey and was working as a lighting technician with Vari-Lite, a company which provides lighting in the entertainment business. He claims he was striving to carve out a career for himself in the world of music concert lighting. He believed he would be earning up to £250,000 a year by the age of 40 as a freelance lighting designer.
Mr Leesmith said during the high court hearing that his injuries have now made this impossible. He had claimed damages of more than £2.7million, the majority being for the loss of future earnings, claiming that if it wasn’t for the accident he would have reached the very top of his chosen career.
In the years following his accident Mr Leesmith had to undergo further surgery on his leg, hindering his rehabilitation. He was then forced to take a job in a theatre in Great Yarmouth, where he had previously worked as a teenager. He is now employed by the performing arts department of Norwich City College as a theatre technician.
Mr Evans and his insurers admitted liability for the accident, but they disputed the amount of damages which should be awarded. Mr Justice Cooke ruling on the case agreed that Mr Leesmith should be awarded a total of £603,424 plus interest for lost, past and future earnings. The judge would not accept that Mr Leesmith would have risen to the very top of his chosen career, but did say he had the necessary drive to progress.
