NEW DETAILS REVEALED AFTER HOR-ROR ROAD SMASH — Dad’s Devastating Transformation Leaves Family Stunned
A DAD was left with brain damage and “looking like Homer Simpson” after a 5kg steel plate flew off a lorry and smashed through his windscreen.
Anthony Moore, 51, was left fuming after the driver who left him with life changing injuries only received three penalty points and a £100 fine.
Anthony Moore, 51, was left with brain damage after a steel plate smashed through his windscreenCredit: SWNS
His wife said he was left ‘looking like Homer Simpson’Credit: SWNS
The dad-of-three from Heath Hayes, Staffs, said: “My life has been destroyed because somebody failed to do one basic thing – secure a load properly.”
The 51-year-old’s facial injuries and swelling were so bad that his wife later said it left him looking like “Homer Simpson”.
The driver was prosecuted by police for driving with an unsecured load – but Anthony said the punishment is “an insult to every road user”.
Now, after suing the driver’s employer and parent company, Anthony has secured a substantial six-figure out-of-court settlement.
Anthony was minutes away from home when the incident occurredCredit: SWNS
A 5kg steel metal plate smashed through Anthony’s windscreenCredit: SWNS
Anthony said his life has been ‘destroyed’ since the accidentCredit: SWNS
The dad-of-three was driving his Ford Ranger at the timeCredit: SWNS
Anthony said: “I wasn’t speeding. I wasn’t taking risks. I was simply driving home from work to my family.
“Within a split second everything I had worked for disappeared. I have lost my career, my independence, my health, and the life I had built with my wife and children.”
He added that his wife has had to give up her job to care for him full time, and the family have spent the last three years trying to rebuild their life.
Anthony said: “I don’t want sympathy. I want accountability. I want companies to understand that securing a load properly isn’t paperwork or box-ticking.
“It is the difference between somebody getting home safely or spending the rest of their life disabled.”
Anthony was minutes from home when the 5kg solid steel plate crashed through the windscreen of his Ford Ranger in September 2023.
It struck his head and his 4×4 careered underneath the same truck and was dragged for almost half a mile before the driver stopped.
The driver was slapped with an £100 fine, three penalty points and a a four week licence suspension from the regional Traffic Commissioner.
Anthony’s wife Rachel said she ‘barely recognised’ himCredit: SWNS
Anthony suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in hospital for two weeksCredit: SWNS
Before the crash, Anthony was a senior manager for an events specialist and a devoted dad to his three children, nine, 15 and 21.
His wife Rachel, 45, said: “When I saw Tony I barely recognised him. His face was massively swollen, his eyes were bulging, everything was black and purple.
“He honestly looked like Homer Simpson because the swelling was so severe. There was blood everywhere. It was absolutely horrific.”
Anthony suffered a traumatic brain injury with brain bleeds, and multiple fractures to his skull and face, including a broken eye socket and cheekbone, a fractured right hand, and significant mouth injuries.
After initially surviving his injuries, he developed severe paranoid delusions caused by his brain injury, believing hospital staff were trying to kill him.
He spent just two weeks in hospital, being moved between different wards before eventually being discharged home.
With specialist NHS brain injury rehabilitation limited, the family turned to catastrophic injury lawyers at Express Solicitors for expert help.
They secured funding for intensive neurorehabilitation, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and specialist support workers while pursuing a legal claim against the driver’s company.
While the case was referred by police to the HSE, they were unable to take any action against the company due to the incident happening on the motorway and the Traffic Commissioner took no further action.
The family later obtained a six-figure settlement against Joseph Ash Galvanizing, a subsidiary company of parent company Hill & Smith PLC.
This will fund Anthony’s future rehabilitation, specialist medical treatment and long-term care.
Catastrophic injury solicitor Nina Ramsden, of Express Solicitors, said: “Tony sustained life-changing injuries in an entirely preventable accident.
“His life changed forever during an ordinary journey home from work.
“His injuries are very complex, but this settlement will ensure Tony can continue receiving the specialist rehabilitation and support he requires while providing financial security for his family’s future.”
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: “A summons was sent to the driver for the insecure load, with a traffic commissioner referral made in relation to the company.
“The driver received points on his licence as well as a fine.
“The Health and Safety Executive was also informed, though no further action was taken by them, due to the incident taking place on a road and not a business premises.”
The West Midlands Traffic Commissioner wrote to the company involved, but took no enforcement action in relation to load security, as policies in place were correct.
The driver attended a conduct hearing and had his vocational licence suspended for 4-weeks.
Hill and Smith PLC – parent company of Joseph Ash Galvanizing – said: “Hill & Smith confirms that Mr Moore sustained a serious injury as a result of a regrettable incident in 2023, with a lorry belonging to its Joseph Ash Galvanizing subsidiary.
“The matter has been subject to the appropriate legal and regulatory processes, and we can confirm a settlement was reached, acknowledging the serious nature of the injury.
“We take health and safety across our group extremely seriously and continue to review and strengthen our procedures to help prevent incidents of this nature.”
