An aspiring cab driver whose head was “smashed to pieces” in a collision with a car driven by a British Transport Police officer is suing the force for up to £150,000.
Darren Doolan’s skull had to be rebuilt after Pc Colm Abbott’s Vauxhall Zafira hit his Piaggio moped in February 2011.
High Court papers, seen by the Standard, claim that the officer was “travelling at speed on the wrong side” of Caledonian Road when the crash happened.
Pc Abbott pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention in October 2011.
Mr Doolan, 30, who had been doing the Knowledge in the hope of becoming a cab driver, had bone plates inserted into his head after the crash and is likely to need a further titanium plate. His mother Jackie said: “His head was smashed to pieces… It was like an egg shell and they had to put it back together.
“At the moment the whole thing is in dispute on whether they are settling out of court.”
Mr Doolan also suffers from memory loss, headaches and disturbed sleep, and his left eye now appears smaller than his right, according to the court papers, and he has a scar and indentation in his forehead.
The former postal worker, from Holloway, could not return to work for nine months. He is seeking provisional damages with the right to return to court for more if his condition deteriorates.
A BTP spokesman said it had accepted liability for the accident and would like to apologise to Mr Doolan, but added: “Due to the fact that court proceedings are active it would be inappropriate for us to comment any further on this case.”
