David Dei-Cei, 23, suffered brain damage when the car he was travelling in crashed into a field in October 2002.

He was awarded £6.3million in damages after a hearing at the High Court, London, was told that Mr Dei-Cei would never work again and that his injuries have left him requiring round the clock, live-in care for the rest of his life.

Mr Dei-Cei, then aged 17, was on his way to a camping trip in the Kielder Forest when the accident happened on the A68 at Bingfield, near Hexham, Northumberland, at about 3pm on Saturday October 12, 2002.

He was taken to Newcastle General Hospital by air ambulance and spent three weeks unconscious in intensive care.

Doctors didn't expect Mr Dei-Cei, from Wallsend, Newvcastle-upon-Tyne, to survive, but he beat the odds and finally left hospital 18 months later.

However, the crash left him permanently disabled. He has short-term memory loss, difficulty in solving problems, lacks concentration and, the court heard, needs a full-time, live-in carer.

At the time of the accident, Mr Dei-Cei had left school and was trying to find work as a mechanic, but that is now beyond him.

His lawyers made the claim against Direct Line, the insurers of the Citroen Saxo driver, Samantha Armstrong, from Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

They said the large amount of compensation reflected the fact that Mr Dei-Cei would never be able to work and would require very demanding care needs for the rest of his life.

Mrs Justice Dobbs told Mr Dei-Ceci's mother, Pamela, who was in court to hear the ruling: 'It has obviously been a difficult six years for you and I hope that this settlement will help to make life easier for you and please accept the good wishes of the court."