Family to receive £400k compensation after a man was killed when wood fell from a lorry in Newhaven and smashed through his windscreen

The family of a man who died when timber fell from a lorry in Newhaven onto his car are set to receive compensation of £400,000 after the fatal accident.
The accident happened in NewhavenThe accident happened in Newhaven
The accident happened in Newhaven

Father of three Jack Stevens, 28, was killed on May 13, 2020, and now lorry owners Travis Perkins plc have offered damages of £400,000 to the administrators of his estate, his mother and the mother of his children, according to papers just made public at London’s High Court.

Mrs Stevens, of Burgess Hill, and Miss Page, of Brighton, are asking the High Court to approve the settlement and make it into a court order.

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The court’s permission is needed because part of the settlement is for Mr Stevens’ children, who are all under the age of 18.

The settlement is also for the benefit of his parents, and his grandmother.

The accident happened as Mr Stevens, a store manager for B&Q at Newhaven, drove his BMW along the A26 New Road at Newhaven in East Sussex, and a piece of wood fell from the back of a lorry, going through his windscreen and striking him.

His administrators accuse Travis Perkins of negligence, and say the load was not properly secured before leaving a yard. The court papers say there was an insufficient system of inspection for checking loads, the lorry was driven with an unsafe load, and the load fell off, causing Mr Stevens’ death.

Now the administrators are seeking approval of the settlement, and a decision as to how much each of his dependants will receive.

Copy supplied by UK Law News

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