Cyclist Crushed Between Lorries Awarded £280,000

A cyclist who was left with a permanent disability as a result of a road accident has been awarded compensation of £280,000.

Doris Barrera-Torrico, 31, was cycling along a busy road in North London, on her way to a charity where she did voluntary work, when the accident happened. As she approached a junction, she was pinned between two lorries and run over. She lay on the road, seriously injured, for over half an hour before help arrived. The skin on one of her legs had been stripped away from the underlying tissue and at one stage doctors feared the leg would have to be amputated.

After nine operations, doctors managed to save Ms Barrera-Torrico’s leg, but it is now deformed and her life has been changed forever. Before the accident she had been an accomplished athlete, but she can no longer partake in the sporting activities she previously enjoyed as she is unable to walk without crutches.

Ms Barrera-Torrico brought a claim of negligence against one of the lorry drivers and an out of court settlement was reached on the basis that he was 70 per cent to blame for the accident. The money is to compensate her for the medical treatment she has had to undergo, the cost of her care requirements and loss of earnings.