BRAVE Ben Sheppard, who suffered severe injuries in a car crash which killed his sister, is facing Christmas in hospital.
Ben, seven, suffered severe spinal injuries in the accident on July 25 on the A350 at West Ashton near Trowbridge. His sister Tamara-Jayne, five, died.
Ben is now facing a delay in being discharged from Stoke Mandeville Hospital because his parents' Compton Bassett home is unsuitable for his wheelchair.
Pending the outcome of a criminal prosecution of a man on three counts of causing death by dangerous driving, the Sheppards' insurance company is unwilling to pay for a wheelchair-accessible bungalow.
Julian Chamberlayne of Stewarts, the catastrophic injury specialist in London, is acting on behalf of the family.
He said: "To add insult to considerable injury, for bereavement over the death of Ben's sister, his parents will only be able to recover statutory prescribed damages for bereavement of £7,500. This is equivalent to the damages award for loss of a finger. Sadly it remains cheaper to kill than to injure in Britain."
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