A GRANDFATHER left brain damaged and unable to walk after a driver using a mobile phone ploughed into him while he was stood outside his house was this week awarded a seven figure sum by the High Court to fund his future care.
Serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who supported Turkish born Dunya Cavusoglu in his battle for justice, say that the funds have allowed him to move back to the heart of his community in a specially adapted flat.
Now in need of around the clock care the grandfather of eight was standing outside his house in the N17 area of London on 21st September 2009 when he was hit by a car as the driver lost control bending down to pick up her mobile phone.
The 52-year-old was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital where he was an inpatient for 10 months as doctors treated him for broken legs and a severe traumatic brain injury.
Dunya was then moved to several rehabilitation centres before being placed at Asprey House Care Home in Leyton, East London. As his first language is Turkish, he struggled to understand the care staff here, and his family were limited in their visits because of the distance.
Thanks to the care package that solicitors at Irwin Mitchell have fought for on his behalf, he was able to move to a specially adapted flat in the heart of his community only 10 months post accident. He is now cared for by Turkish carers, which helps his speech development and the settlement will enable the purchase of a fully adapted family home so that the family can live together again.
Through the course of the case the law firm were also able to obtain an interim payment to enable Dunya to undergo private orthopaedic surgery, and it is hoped that, with the intensive physiotherapy provided now and in the future, he will one day be able to take a few steps again.
Irwin Mitchell’s Lauren Hurney, representing the family, said: “Before he suffered his injuries Dunya was a hospitable, devoted family man who enjoyed cooking. He was very sociable and was a well known figure within the Turkish community and at the Dalston Community Centre.
Dunya’s wife, Gulafer, 55, said: “We are heartbroken that Dunya’s accident had such a devastating effect on his life. He was a fit, active and sociable man and we were looking forward to many more years together.
“While nothing can turn back the clock to the time before Dunya’s accident, we are glad that the settlement will allow us to be able to live together as a family again.