A severely disabled man has been awarded £35,000 personal injury compensation after tripping over a cracked step.

Colin Adamson, a double amputee who has had to walk with the aid of crutches following a serious car accident six years ago, in which he lost his left leg just above the knee and his right leg beneath the knee, tripped over the step while visiting a friend at Kearney Gardens, housing estate in Bangor, County Down.

Mr. Adamson required surgery to repair his damaged elbow after falling heavily on the defective footpath; plates and screws had to be inserted into the damaged joint, which have greatly limited his arm mobility.

The friend he was visiting stated that the steps were indeed cracked and added that this was a ‘feature of the estate’; an engineer also gave evidence that the condition of the steps was dangerous.

Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan agreed with Mr Adamson’s account of the incident and awarded £35,000 personal injury compensation, adding, “The plaintiff sustained a nasty injury which will impede his function in the longer term.”