Damages five years after accident

A former scaffolder left severely disabled after a crash more than five years ago has been awarded £3m in damages at the High Court in London. Neil Nicolson, from Corpach, Fort William, was on a motorcycle when he was involved in a collision with a car.

Until recently he could only move his neck slightly and his left thumb and forefinger. Mr Nicolson, who was working in London when the accident happened in August 2002, sued the car driver's insurers.

A judge had earlier ruled Brenda Willis, of Mitcham, Surrey, was two-thirds responsible for the accident. Mr Nicolson's counsel, Philip Glancy QC, said a specially converted bungalow had been bought near his family home in Fort William where he will live with a round-the-clock team of carers.

He was 35-years-old at the time of the accident and has been receiving specialist care near Edinburgh. With some assistance, Mr Nicolson can now feed himself, guide his wheelchair for a few metres without being pushed and can walk short distances in a harness.

His mother, Betty Nicolson, said: "I am very happy that my boy is coming home at long last and that the money he is getting will give him a quality of life."