New-found hope for motorcyclist left permanently unable to walk after Chichester crash

A man from Chichester, who will never be able to walk again after a motorbike accident, said there is ‘so much more hope’ after receiving a seven-figure payout.
The crash left Matt Osbourne permamently unable to walkThe crash left Matt Osbourne permamently unable to walk
The crash left Matt Osbourne permamently unable to walk

Matt Osbourne was involved in a life-changing collision with a car on his mum’s birthday, March 31, 2016, when he was driving with his brother-in-law.

At the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, it was confirmed that Matt’s spinal cord had been severely damaged; he sustained an injury called a C6 incomplete tetraplegia.

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Four years on, aged 29, the accident means Matt will never walk again.

When Matt was left ‘significantly disabled’ after the crash, Fletchers Serious Injury worked alongside him to secure a payout which covered a new property to facilitate mobility issues, which has helped to move his life forward.

He said: “If we didn’t get this property, I don’t think I would have survived. That’s the truth.

“Beforehand, I stayed in bed. I just didn’t see the point. Since then, there’s so much more hope.

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“One day, you wake up thinking your life is over, but this house has opened endless possibilities.”

Described as ‘young, fit and healthy’ before the accident, Matt was working full time in a physical role as a refuse collector.

His life revolved around motorsports - from spectating at live events to ‘riding any sort of mechanically propelled vehicle’.

Commenting on his life’s change, Matt said: “I was always racing, go-karting, off-roading, riding on quad bikes and BMXs’. I was very active. Anything with an engine, I was doing it.”

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The seven-figure settlement will also cover the employment of a care team, and for Matt to join a private rehabilitation programme, where he has already made great progress. This combined with the new property has given Matt ‘a lot more independence and hope’.

“Something I’m really looking forward to is when the wet room comes together,” he said. “I haven’t had a bath since the accident, so they’re building me a special wet room.

“Away from that, I’m having a man cave built which will have a cinema room, pool table and all my gym equipment which will help with my recovery and rehab.”

Looking to the future, Matt has plans to travel, and has bought a car so that he can soon get out on the roads again.

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He said: “The plan is to go around all the tracks in England and experience some track days. Then I’d love to do some travelling abroad.

“After that, who knows. I might get another custom-made vehicle as I can drive a car pretty well, with some of the custom-made models.”

Before Matt’s accident, his family were ‘already familiar with the tragedy and trauma’ of a motorbike accident.

Matt’s father died at the scene of a motorcycle accident, and a close family member was also involved in a car accident over 20 years ago, which left him disabled.

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Matt took ‘some comfort’ in seeing what is possible regardless of injury.

He said: “I grew up with someone in the same level of injury as me. I knew I’d be able to drive again, and I tried not to think too much into the future.”

Matt and his family have adapted to his new life but his mum, Trudy, said the thought of the accident ‘still destroys me now’.

She added: “I remember one of the nurses at the time being positive, and you just think ‘I can’t’.

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“But, day by day, you take it all in and you see a little progress. It’s not the end of the world, but it is the end of that world.

“What you knew has gone forever. We have a different life now.

“We have some care assistance, but that’s just three days a week. At the moment I do most of it, but we all muck in.”

Caroline Morris, a senior lawyer at Fletchers Serious Injury, said Matt has ‘endured so much’ since his ‘devastating accident’.

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She said: “We are delighted to have been able to secure this settlement despite a liability dispute and disagreement over the value of the case.

“The settlement obtained will ensure that he is financially secure for the remainder of his life and properly supported. We wish him all the best for the future.”

If you or a loved one has suffered from a motorbike accident that wasn’t their fault, you can contact Fletchers Serious Injury online at www.fletchersseriousinjury.com or by calling 0330 013 0251.

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