Heir wins £1m damages after bike accident

The heir to a business empire who became "a totally changed man" after suffering brain damage in a motorbike crash has won £1million in damages following an eight-year legal battle.

The accident transformed Bijan Fouladgar, 38, from an ambitious and sporty "work hard, play hard" entrepreneur into a shadow of his former self, the High Court was told.

Mr Fouladgar today said he was "very pleased" his long fight for compensation was at an end. Speaking at his home in Wapping, he said: "I'm very pleased it's over. This has been eight years of my life tied up in this. Now I can finally try to get on with living my life."

Mr Fouladgar suffered near-fatal head injuries when his motorbike crashed into a van performing a U-turn in the Blackfriars underpass in May 2001.

He was left with difficulty concentrating, processing information and controlling his "hair trigger temper", the court heard. He also became vulnerable to "exploitation" by others.

Before the accident he had been earmarked to follow in the footsteps of his Iranian parents, founders of sportswear retailer London Joggers Ltd.

Mr Fouladgar sued the van driver's employer, Southover Food Company, whose insurers agreed to a £1million settlement yesterday.