Compensation victory for woman left brain damaged in road accident

A woman left barely aware of the world around her after a car crash has won more than £1million compensation.

Tizzy Ellattaoui, 32, from Hemel Hempstead, was a passenger in a car driven by her boyfriend, Neil Sullivan, in April 1999 when he lost control.

Mr Sullivan was killed in the accident on the A418 in Thame, Oxfordshire.

Ms Ellattaoui's QC, Colin McCaul, told London's High Court that she had been left badly brain damaged in the crash and her injuries were so "catastrophic" that she was "at best, in a minimal consciousness state".

He said the former hairdresser is looked after 24 hours a day in a care home.

Through her mother, Houria El-Nahas, of Highfield, Hemel Hempstead, Ms Ellattaoui sued her boyfriend's estate and the Motor Insurers Bureau, the body which compensates victims of uninsured drivers.

She said: My daughter's been taken away from me, and no amount of money will bring her back.

"You're child gets injured severely and you're grieving, but there's worse to come – the obstacles are horrific.

"I cry every day still – not one day goes by that I don't cry for Tizzy."

Mr Justice Maddison awarded Ms Ellattaoui a lump sum of £750,000 and an index-linked £73,000 a year for life.

The money will be used to fund Ms Ellattaoui's ongoing care.

'Any action in which a claimant suffers such catastrophic injuries as these is bound to impact on many people's lives,' the judge said.

"The principal impact has been felt by her mother.

"I would express my admiration for the considerable fortitude with which she has coped."