After suing the moped rider who was found not guilty after an alleged shoddy police investigation, a pensioner who was struck by the vehicle on a zebra crossing was given a £95,000 compensation.
Loraine White, 72, has many fractures to her knee and ribs, making it difficult for her to walk.
The Yamaha 125 motorcycle struck her about 7 p.m. on March 24, 2022, on Crownfield Road in Leytonstone.
When Mrs. White's life abruptly altered, she eagerly left the house to meet her two sons for a pre-Mother's Day meal.
She said to the Standard, "I didn't have time to react."
I glanced in both directions while halfway across the zebra crossing, and then I was suddenly struck as I turned to look to my right for a second look. I had shattered my ribs, and the pain was so bad that I was barely able to breathe or speak.
“I fell. The force was so bad that it broke all my nails on my left hand that I had just had done.
“I couldn’t move. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain.”
Nazeefullah Hikmat, now 27, from Walthamstow, was acquitted of driving without due care and attention after telling Stratford Magistrates’ Court he wasn’t there and someone must have stolen his keys.
According to Mrs White’s solicitors, police officers at the scene hadn’t asked a motorcyclist to remove his mask or helmet to confirm his identity.
With the help of lawyer Rachel Flannigan, a road traffic accident specialist at Express Solicitors, Mrs White sued Hikmat and his insurers for her appalling injuries.
Mrs White, of Waltham Forest, recently received a total out-of-court settlement of £95,000, including claim fees.
The retired British Gas typist said she’s been left shuffling along like “Star Wars robot R2-D2” and mostly crawls up her stairs.
She also gets mistaken for a shoplifter as metal in her legs sets off store alarms.
Mrs White said: “This has ruined my retirement.
“I was so excited as my sons were meeting me for a Mother’s Day treat. I now wish I had never left the house that day.
“He [Hikmat] said in court that he wasn’t driving and wasn’t there - someone must have stolen his keys. But as the police officer on the scene hadn’t asked whoever it was to remove his mask and helmet, Hikmat was cleared.”
Mrs White spent two-and-a-half weeks recovering at Whipps Cross Hospital before being discharged with a static leg brace to aid healing.
Initially, she had to live in her front room on a bed with carers and her twin 34-year-old sons Sammy and Daniel looking after her.
She added: “I am in constant pain. I have metal in both knees and matching scars and struggle to walk. I feel like that R2-D2 robot from Star Wars.
“I sometimes get mistaken for a shoplifter as metal in my legs set off alarms when I leave stores. I was in Superdrug and it went off and I had to show them my receipt before they released me. It’s so embarrassing.”
Her solicitor Ms Flannigan added: “Loraine now faces a lifetime of pain for something as simple as popping out for a meal.
“Her life changed in seconds and shows how dangerous crossings can be.
“Drivers need to be more aware of pedestrians when they are crossing the road.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed reasons for Hikmat’s acquittal, but could not provide further details because of how much time has passed since the incident.
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