Matthew was serving in the Army when a fellow soldier negligently discharged a gun. Matthew was shot in the head. The bullet had fractured his skull and lodged in his brain, metal splinters sat in the pre-central region of the right frontal lobe of the brain.
As a result of the accident Matthew suffered a severe brain injury. He has suffered numerous related problems of personality disorder, mental impairment, mild left facial weakness, headaches, hearing loss and numbness in his left index finger. He suffered a substantial loss of amenity including his pre-accident sports hobbies, social and leisure activities.
Matthew experiences difficulties communicating with other people, maintaining concentration and appreciating the feelings of others. He finds it difficult to integrate in any social situation and is prone to angry outbursts for no apparent reason. Often he has no recollection of these. Matthew is frequently worried by things going on around him and is extremely forgetful. He also has an inability to prioritise and has a lack of judgment.
When Matthew was injured he was in his early 20s. He was single and he absolutely loved Army life and the outdoor life. Following his severe brain injury his life and his family's life was put into turmoil. They instructed military injury legal expert Lesley Casey.
When Lesley first visited Matthew's family, his mother was in pieces and very upset. Matthew's father was ex-military and he did not think it was proper to sue the MoD.
As in many cases, liability was initially disputed. Following negotiations with the MoD liability was agreed and Lesley was able to obtain interim payments to ensure Matthew could begin his rehabilitation programme. Lesley appointed a brain injury case manager who then appointed support workers. With the assistance of these Matthew undertook a college course studying for a BTEC first diploma and went on to further studies with the aim of regaining employment and quality to his life through these achievements.
It was agreed that Matthew would need case management and support workers for the rest of his life. Although he was able to live independently he needed help to structure his life.
Lesley successfully settled Matthew's case for 1.15million. Being with a specialist solicitor meant that the family were not exposed to the trauma of litigation. Matthew and his family could rest assured that every avenue was being explored on their behalf. This coupled with the interim payments in turn enabled Matthew and his family to get on with the most important thing - Matthew's rehabilitation.
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