Gale v Harris

A woman whose weight ballooned after a road smash left her unable to exercise left the High Court with almost £250,000 agreed compensation.

Sporty Kylie Gale's weight rocketed up from ten and a half stone to 13 stone after back injuries from the crash left her unable to do sports and forced her to leave two jobs. Kylie, 27, sued driver George Harris for injuries she suffered in the accident, including what her lawyer, Simon Livesey, called 'substantial weight gain'. But the parties agreed to settle for £242,500 after an hour of negotiations before the trial was due to start. Mr Harris crashed into Kylie's car on a mini roundabout on 26 May 1995, leaving her with painful sciatica and damaged discs. His insurers conceded liability for the accident on 23 September 1998 and [today] agreed to the settlement of Kylie's case. 'The reduction in mobility and inability to return to physical sports and pastimes led to a substantial weight gain' Mr Livesey told the court in written submissions. Miss Gayle, who was working as a project technician for a food science company, was later forced to quit that job by her injuries. She later also had to give up a subsequent position as a sales administrator with a kitchen sales company because of the pain in her back and neck, he said. 'The impact of a serious spinal problem on a young woman is very grave' Mr Livesey said.

"Butterworths Personal Injury Litigation Service" Bulletin No 62, November 2001