Wheelchair-bound victim faces seven year wait for compensation

Family’s fight for the love of Alfie.

Alfie Low has a dream. The fun-loving young Scot wants to fall in love, have his own home and “a football squad of kids”. He would also like to drive.

That’s not such a tall order for most 24-year-olds, but for Alfie it is his greatest challenge.

The footy and music mad Aberdonian has brain damage and is confined to a wheelchair after a dangerous driver knocked him down, leaving him in a coma for three months and in hospital for almost a year. Docs say he’ll never walk again.

Five years on, Alfie, who just survived the catastrophic head injury that left him paralysed on one side and with speech and sight problems, is still waiting for compensation. Only that can free him from the care home in which he is the youngest resident, giving him a more independent life, and the chance of making his dreams come true.

His family and legal guardians granny Margaret Low, 81, and uncle Tommy Low, 60 are supporting Alfie to sue the driver’s insurers for damages. But the pair from Aberdeen claim they have been told they may have to wait a further 18 months for the fight to go before the Court of Session in Edinburgh taking the wait to seven years.

Frail Margaret, who has raised Alfie since he came to live with her aged just nine months, gazes at her cherished grandson’s childhood picture and says: “I have fought for Alfie all of his life. I want to see him settled in his own home before I die. I am 81, I won’t be around much longer.”

Margaret says she has been advised by Alfie’s legal team not to disclose the compensation sum. But she adds: “It will be enough to keep Alfie for the rest of his life, if we ever get it.”

Shot blaster Tommy adds: “Alfie can’t do many of the things most others his age take for granted. He’s the youngest person in his care home and it’s a good home, but he shouldn’t have to be there. He should be out clubbing and meeting girls, and looking forward to one day settling down and having kids.”

Alfie, who already had learning difficulties and was attending a work access course at Aberdeen College, had been at a friend’s 18th birthday at an Aberdeen pub when he was knocked down in 2008. Driver Maxi Duncan, then 21, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court later that month charged with Alfie’s attempted murder. The charge was later reduced to assault but a jury found him guilty of the alternative charge of dangerous driving.

The subsequent trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2010 heard Duncan had driven to a party at the Parkway Inn, Bridge of Don to which he had not been invited and was chased away by a group of people, including Alfie. The court heard he then drove towards a group of people and swerved towards some of them, including Alfie.

At the time, Sheriff James Tierney said: “It must have been obvious driving of that kind carries with it the risk of severe injury, perhaps even a risk of death.” He sentenced Duncan to nine months in a young offenders’ institution and banned him from driving for three years.

Alfie’s family had to wait for the criminal case to conclude before they could launch a civil action under the legal aid system. They say assessments were then carried out by the driver’s insurers and an out of court offer was made. It was declined because the family claim the amount was insufficient.

According to Tommy the first civil hearing for compensation had been due in April this year but was cancelled due to a late report. It was rescheduled for later this month but Tommy claims there is too much evidence for it to be concluded quickly, so Alfie will have to wait again.

In the meantime he lives for the gym, which he attends twice a week, and for weekends with his family at their council flat with wheelchair access. Tommy has used his own cash to fund a wheelchair-accessible car to take his nephew shopping and for nights out.

A frustrated Margaret says: “The boy who did this to Alfie has served his time and is out now. But Alfie is living a life sentence. His life will never be the same again but he never complains. He has a heart of gold and helps others at the home.”

Tommy’s eyes twinkle and he smiles as tells how Alfie still loves watching his beloved Celtic in action and beating his uncle at PlayStation games with his special one-handed control.

And Alfie, painstakingly putting together the words he has never uttered publicly says: “My life changed for ever thenight I was knocked down, but I’m not bitter.

“I do have a dream, though tolive in my own home andhave a wife and a football squad of kids. I’d love to prove the doctors wrong and one day walk again.”