The family of a cyclist left severely disabled after he was hit by a police car racing to a shooting is suing the Met for more than £1 million to pay for his care.
Donald MacLeod, 62, a former journalist and father-of-three, was thrown off his bicycle in the accident at the junction of Southgate Road and Northchurch Road in March 2010. His injuries have left him unable to speak, with limited movement and in need of round-the-clock care.
Today his sister, author Janet MacLeod Trotter, said the compensation was of “huge importance” for her brother’s future.
She said: “The money that we have raised through fund-raising is a drop in the ocean compared with what we need to care for Donald in the future.
“His family, colleagues and friends have been fantastic with their support. There has been so much going on to raise the £30,000 we have made since his accident, but it is not enough.”
Mr MacLeod’s former colleagues at The Guardian, where he was education editor, held a benefit gig for him in October.
Mrs MacLeod Trotter, who lives in Northumberland, added: “My son shovelled snow, friends and family ran the Edinburgh marathon, and there are lots of people who donated individually to his fund. But we cannot do it by ourselves. I have no idea how much his treatment is going to cost in the coming years. His house has to be adapted for his return home. He is coming to the end of the line in terms of what the NHS can offer.”
The claim, made through his wife, teacher Barbara MacLeod, against Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, states the defendant is liable for “negligent acts and omissions of police officers serving in the Metropolitan Police Force”.
Eyewitnesses described seeing Mr MacLeod, who was wearing a helmet and a high visibility vest, being thrown through the air by the collision.
Tony Coll, 62, a university friend of Mr MacLeod, said: “I think the Met should take responsibility for this. I am surprised that they let it get this far. They should have just done the honourable thing before this and paid out.”
Mr MacLeod was in a coma for six weeks following the accident on March 24, 2010. This year he moved back to Edinburgh, where he is being treated at a hospital which specialises in post acute care and rehabilitation, and will return to his home in the New Year.
