A grandfather who was run into by a cyclist as he walked home late at night has been awarded more than £11,000 for the injuries he sustained, even though his attacker has never been found.
Geoffrey Robinson, from Southsea near Portsmouth, was left unconscious and with little memory of the incident which happened on a warm summer evening in 2020.
Mr Robinson, a father of three, who works in retail, was left with multiple facial fractures and a skull fracture but it wasn’t until he left the hospital and had a chance conversation with a nurse that he found he could claim from The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
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The night of the incident
Recalling the night of the incident Mr Robinson said:
It was around half-past eleven at night, I had been to the local late-night Co-op and then the pub and I was walking home alone on Gove Street. It was a lovely warm night, and I was just five minutes from home when someone on a pushbike hit me from behind.
I turned and said, ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ and I don’t remember anything else until I woke up in hospital two weeks later.
Mr Robinson was left lying on the pavement, bleeding and with a serious brain injury. Fortunately, a local resident heard shouting coming from outside her home and checked on her video doorbell to see what was happening. Spotting Mr Robinson lying on the ground she called an ambulance and he was immediately taken to Southampton General Hospital.
The man on the bike, who Mr Robinson only remembers as being in his mid-20s, has never been found despite a police investigation. The video doorbell footage was too dark to identify anyone, although police later told Mr Robinson the audio indicated the cyclist was being aggressive.
His hospital experience
Mr Robinson was in hospital for a month and during that time his partner and children were unable to visit due to the pandemic. Mr Robinson had never heard of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and had no idea he could apply for an award.
When I regained consciousness, I asked the nurse if I’d fallen over the previous day, but she explained I’d had a head injury and had been there for two weeks. I felt fine considering what had happened and the doctors couldn’t believe my recovery.
While off work from his part-time job as a retail assistant, Mr Robinson was only entitled to £95 a week of statutory sick pay and fell behind with his rent, owing the local council £500. Then in a chance conversation with a hospital nurse on the telephone, she told him about CICA and gave him a number to call.
I would like to thank that nurse very much and I haven’t been able to do that because I didn’t catch her name, but if it wasn’t for her, I would never have had this award. If I had spoken to a different nurse on that day, I would not have got a penny. I definitely want others to know about it as there are a lot of people worse off than me who don’t know they can claim.
Getting in contact with Hudgell Solicitors
After getting in touch with Hudgell Solicitors, Mr Robinson’s case worker spent 12 months gathering the medical evidence for his claim, he says the process was straightforward and he was kept up to date through the entire process.
The grandfather was eventually awarded £11,300 for the injuries caused and while it does not make up for the stress his family suffered as he lay alone in hospital the payment has made a difference.
I was behind on my rent and there were other bills to pay too, so it has been very welcome, and all the kids got spoilt at Christmas too.
A month after returning home Mr Robinson contacted his GP to ask if he could return to work and says he was told by his doctor he had been remarkably lucky.
You must have a hard head or someone up there is looking after you because from those injuries I shouldn’t be talking to you.
Jade Cartwright of Hudgell Solicitors who specialises in CICA cases said Mr Robinson’s settlement was given because, “he was an innocent victim, someone who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we committed to get our client’s lives back on track.
As in Mr Robinson’s case the perpetrator was never identified, caught or prosecuted and we were still able to obtain a settlement because he had been the victim of a violent crime. Anyone who has reported an assault to the police and has fully cooperated with the investigation is entitled to make a claim as the CICA payments are intended as an expression of public sympathy for the effects of crime.
For more than two decades, our team of CICA solicitors have worked on behalf of hundreds of clients to help them secure the maximum amount of damages from their CICA claim.
With all cases pursued on a ‘no win no fee’ basis, there is no financial risk to you – and you will not be under any obligation to continue after your free initial consultation.
Please download a copy of our criminal injuries guide.
