A popular and well-known 34 year-old Aberporth man has been awarded a substantial seven-figure settlement following a road traffic accident in Pembrokeshire that left him wheelchair bound and needing round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

Anthony Hutchinson, known as ‘Punk’, was giving his brother a lift from Cardigan to Haverfordwest when a cattle trailer towed by a Land Rover Defender collided with his car.

The accident occurred on the B4329 New Inn to Brynberian road on 23 November 2009, leaving Punk with catastrophic brain, cranio-facial, spinal, abdominal, upper- and lower-limb injuries.

Jo Hutchinson, Punk’s wife and mother of their six year-old son, said: “We’re pleased with the ruling and happy that we can now concentrate fully on re-building our lives.

“The value of the settlement reflects not only the catastrophic nature of the injuries Punk received when the cattle trailer collided with his vehicle, but also the life-changing impact that these injuries have had for Punk and ourselves.

“Despite the good progress he has made with his rehabilitation, Punk will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. As a result of Punk’s ongoing problems, he will need 24:7 care for the rest of his life.

“No amount of money can make up for the impact the accident has had on our family but the settlement eases financial worries about the ongoing costs of his care and means we can turn our attention to the future.”

The value of the settlement includes a substantial lump sum payment and a Periodical Payment Order that will see Punk receive an annual six-figure payment to cover care costs for the rest of his life.

Jo added: “While the whole ordeal been incredibly stressful, Punk’s spirit and determination have been an inspiration to us all.

“We all wish we could turn back the clock but our family and friends have been amazing and I’d like to thank them all for their support – we couldn’t have got to this point without them.

“I’d also like to thank our legal team - Annmarie Wilde and Helen Powell at Coley & Tilley solicitors and Satinder Hunjun QC and Bob Smallwood of No.5 Chambers – who fought so hard to obtain the settlement on our behalf; as well as the teams of medical and healthcare professionals who continue to work with us to help Punk live as fulfilling a life as possible.”