Title is a bit misleading I think, I somehow think he was awarded massive damages for the actual falling and coma, not the porno.
Disregarding all the lurid details, it's a case of whether he'll ever be able to work again and if he'll need professional care all his life.
So what happened? He was working on an elevated shelving unit and fell off because there was no railing? On the medical side I've heard of similar cases to this where a massive brain trauma will lead to a permanent reduction in inhibition and personality changes without gross physical impairment. Sounds like that may be what happened here. He may be physically fine, but have suffered mental impairments that prevent him from working. I can see how an inability to control impulses would make it difficult to hold a job.
somebody bring me a brick quick, i *finally* have the perfect excuse for my massive pr0n collection, and i can get a payout for it too! the perfect answer!
Whilst i'm totally against stupid claims this one seems perfectly valid. The guy had an injury at work which could have been prevented and now its causing him severe mental problems that will affect his whole life.
Call me cynical, but I think it more likely that he wanted an excuse to a) get a payout and b) shag prostitutes. I might be wrong, though.
im half and half, im always unable to decide whether or not cases that involve massive compensation pay offs, such as this one, have a legitimate reasoning behind them or not. Although if doctors have claimed it a miracle he survived his fall, then perhaps i might be able to accept he has suffered mental illness through both the fall. Remaining comatose will not have done wonders for his state of mind either. He could have a completely different personality to when he initially got up on that shelf. However, £3M is a lot of money to be awarded to someone who has the ability to have sex with prostitues on a regular basis. So chances are he made his case seem 3 times worse than perhaps it was.
I wonder what The Sun or The Star made of it... "Company with Inadequate Erection Shafted by Stiff Fine" Joking aside - £3m isn't a lot for having your life completely f*cked up. No marriage (and probably less chance of another one), no job (and probably less chance of another one), and the whole world sniggering at you...
As a neuropsychologist I know of various cases where traumatic closed-head injury (i.e. blows to the head which do not crack the skull, but do serious concussional damage) led to severe frontal lobe damage. It is a rather vulnerable part of the brain as it lies right over the sharp ridges of the sinus area inside the skull. Given that he was out cold for two months, it is safe to say (according to the Glasgow Coma Scale) that he suffered very severe brain damage. Frontal lobe damage can result in very dramatic personality changes while other cognitive functions appear (on the surface) relatively unaffected. Usually problems are in the area of disinhibition (mainly left frontal lobe area) or initiation (mainly right frontal lobe area). There can also be problems with social skill and awareness, such as theory of mind (appreciating how others might think or feel) or decorum (knowing what is socially appropriate). The most classic example is that of Phineas Gage, a 1900's railroad worker who had an unintentional frontal lobotomy by having a steel shaft launched through his head. Remarkably, Gage regained consciousness within a few minutes, was able to speak, and after a seemingly complete recovery was soon back at work. According to Gage's doctor, whereas previously he had been hard-working, responsible, and popular with the men in his charge, his personality seemed to have been radically altered after the accident. His doctor reported that: Disinhibition problems can lead to impulsiveness and indeed to uncontrolled sexual behaviour. There was an interesting case not so long ago when a decent and caring father suddenly started to sexually abuse his young daughter and became obsessed with pr0n. It was later found he had a massive brain tumour. He describes his experience as: "Intellectually knew what I was doing was wrong, but it just didn't feel wrong anymore". Surgical removal of most of the tumour resulted in his reverting to his old personality. However a few years later the same problems arose --and another CT scan revealed that the tumour indeed had returned. Initiation problems on the other hand are associated with extreme passivity and suggestibility, and make a patient very vulnerable to self-neglect and to exploitation by others. Lack of theory of mind and of social appropriateness... well, you can imagine what problems that causes. Frontal lobe injury may seem the least disabling, but in fact are the most disruptive to a person's ability to function in daily life. It is an extremely poor predictor of return to work and difficult to treat from a rehabilitation of view. This man will never be able to work again, or have a normal relationship, let alone raise children, or even be able to maintain appropriate friendships. He may be unable to stop alienating himself from others and may lead a lonely, estranged and isolated life. He will be unable to plan and organise his own daily life activities and finances (he will certainly need someone to help him manage his compensation, or he'll blow it in a month). His impulsiveness may put him at increased risk of self-harm and addictive behaviour. Trust me, in my opinion, £3 million is only fair.
I'm glad Nexxo posted here, because it saves me having to attempt to explain this thing. I saw a thing about the above mentioned father and it seems to be a life-destroying thing for those effected. It's important that people recognise this is not just another person scrounging, this is someone who has quite probably lost self-control and could require a carer for the rest of their life.
