British Marine who lost limbs in Afghanistan will not get full compensation
- From: Jerry@xxxxxxxxx (Jerry)
- Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:52:13 GMT
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/24/nmilitary124.xml
Marine who lost limbs in Afghanistan will not get full compensation
By Simon Johnson
A Royal Marine who lost both legs and an arm in a Taliban landmine
explosion has been told he is not entitled to the full compensation
package offered to injured troops.
Mark Ormrod, of 40 Commando, has spent the past three months in
intensive care and rehabilitation after being blown up while on foot
patrol in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve.
Despite the seriousness of his injuries, he has been offered £214,000
in compensation, rather than the maximum Ministry of Defence package
of £285,000.
The 24-year-old is appealing against the decision but wants to stay
with the Marines.
He said: "Obviously I can't go on the front line, but there are jobs I
could do involving admin. As long as I can stay with the lads - it's
like a family."
He is learning to walk again using prosthetic limbs, works out for
three hours every day in the gym and will return soon to his home in
Plymouth.
His case has attracted widespread sympathy from the city's residents,
who are angry that he has not been handed the full compensation.
The MoD is fitting out the Marine's house, where he lives with his
fiancée, Becky, to meet his new needs.
But Andrew Buchan, of the law firm Irwin Mitchell, which specialises
in compensation claims for soldiers, said he was "amazed" that the
Marine did not automatically qualify for the maximum amount.
He said: "It's not a question of looking at their individual injuries,
but the care and the support they will need over the years.
"The MoD will say he gets a guaranteed income as well, but that's for
loss of earnings based on his rank now, not what he could be in 10
years' time."
A decision on his appeal is expected soon but some legal experts
suggest he is unlikely to succeed as the MoD makes graded payments
according to a soldier's three most serious injuries.
A spokesman for Thompsons, the personal injury lawyers, said: "While
it seems incredibly unfair in comparison with civil claims for injury,
that's the way the system works. There have been quite a lot of cases
of injured soldiers receiving tiny amounts compared with civilian
payouts."
A spokesman for the MoD said he was unable to comment on individual
cases, but added that the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provided an
immediate lump sum payment.
Those with more severe injuries were eligible for an extra tax-free,
index-linked monthly payment, which, he said, could amount to several
hundreds of thousands of pounds over a lifetime.
The Marine was deployed to Afghanistan last October and stationed with
40 Commando at Forward Operating Base Robinson in southern Helmand
province.
He was on a morning patrol with 11 other Marines when he stepped on
the mine, which was strapped to a Chinese 107 rocket. Both devices
were covered by sand and mud after heavy rainfall.
He was flown by helicopter to a local Army medical base, where he
received 28 pints of blood. He was later transferred to Selly Oak
hospital in Birmingham.
The Marine, who underwent five operations, proposed to his girlfriend
as soon as he regained consciousness after surgery on Dec 28.
.
- Prev by Date: One in three RAF Nimrod planes fit for use
- Next by Date: One in three Brit troops hit by tax change
- Previous by thread: One in three RAF Nimrod planes fit for use
- Next by thread: One in three Brit troops hit by tax change
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
