A young woman whose life was ruined after she was injured in a hit-and-run accident has won a settlement worth over £1 million.

Katrina Connolly was 20 years old when the accident happened. She was crossing the road when she was hit by a Daimler car which drove off without stopping.

The accident left Ms Connolly with horrific injuries and she is now severely disabled. She has difficulty identifying other people, has memory and mobility problems and requires a carer to look after her.

The car which hit Ms Connolly belonged to Andrew Palma. Mr Palma denied that he was driving the car at the time and so a claim could not be brought against him. In addition, the car was uninsured at the time of the accident.

Instead, a claim was made to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), an organisation set up for the purpose of compensating the victims of negligent uninsured and untraced motorists. The MIB agreed to pay Ms Connolly a lump sum of £1 million and annual payments of £40,000. The money will help her to lead as independent a life as possible.

Mr Palma was convicted for failing to insure his car, as the owner of a vehicle is responsible for insuring it even if they are not the person driving it.

It is not widely known that it is possible to receive compensation when the person responsible for an accident is uninsured or cannot be traced. For further information, see the MIB website.