Judges at London’s high court have agreed a compensation payout for a young man who was seriously hurt in a car accident.

Daniel Patrick Drew, now 23, was a passenger in a car when it crashed into another vehicle driven by Daniel Roberts in Leicestershire in 2004.

Mr Drew suffered brain damage, leaving him blind in one eye as well as developing cognitive impairments, reports local newspaper the Telegraph.

Through his mother, he sued Mr Roberts. Insurers originally agreed to pay Mr Drew 85 per cent of the value of his claim due to the fact that he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

However, a new settlement has now been reached and Mr Drew is to be paid a lump sum of £3.5 million to cover the costs of his long term care.

Commenting on the ruling, Mr Justice King said: "I’m quite satisfied that I should approve this order. This settlement should take a lot of the burden of care off the shoulders of Daniel’s mother."

A common misconception when it comes to claiming compensation after an accident is that a person who was in the car that caused the accident cannot make a claim for injuries suffered.

This is untrue, as long as the person making the claim was not the one behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

It is perfectly legitimate to claim against the driver, as it is their responsibility to drive safely.