Soldier launches civil claim following tiny MoD offer
December 04, 2007
The family of a teenage soldier left in a coma and partially paralysed by a training ground accident is set to launch a civil compensation claim.
Dominic Christopher-Backeyfield was accidentally hit by a baton thrown by his trainer following a mistake he made, causing serious head injuries.
Talking to the Daily Mirror, his family says that compensation of just £300 was offered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - which according to them is not enough, when the extent of his injuries is considered.
The soldier added: "I have been told I will get £500,000 compensation if I have to leave the Army. But I don't want to be paid off as an invalid - I want to serve my country.
"I love the Army life, and I love the infantry - it's the only thing I ever wanted to do."
There was a national outcry earlier this year regarding the compensation case of Ben Parkinson, a 27-year-old who almost died in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Under an MoD rule that only the three worst injuries suffered by a soldier can be claimed for, since discontinued, corporal Parkinson was only initially offered £150,000.