A MAN whose life was shattered after an horrific car crash is leading a new fight to win compensation for accident victims.

And Rajendra Vanker’s cause has been taken to the House of Commons by his Bolton MP, Brian Iddon.

Four years ago, Mr Vanker’s legs were crushed by a Volvo that careered into him as he helped his father Chandrakant unload his car in Glynne Street, Farnworth.

The driver had suffered a heart attack at the wheel and died in hospital from a heart condition he did not know he had.

Father-of-two Mr Vanker, aged 47, of Felsham Close, Farnworth, had to quit his well-paid job as a research chemist after the accident left him unable to drive, barely able to walk and in constant pain.

But because the driver’s heart attack was a freak occurrance, his insurance company said he was neither negligent nor liable and has refused to pay up.

Mr Vanker said: “It’s unbelievable insurance companies can get away with this knowing someone has been permanently disabled.

“I fractured both my knees and despite an operation and 11 months physiotherapy I’ve still got serious mobility problems. I can’t walk long distances and my driving is restricted. Four years down the line, it’s not got any better.

“I’ve never been able to go back to work in the chemical industry, where I had 25 years’ experience. It has turned my life upside down.

“I just want compensation to be available to people in situations like this, so they don’t have to endure the hardship I have.”

Dr Iddon, the MP for Bolton South-east, is calling for a new law to force insurers to contribute to a pot of money to pay compensation to victims like Mr Vanker.

Dr Iddon told the Commons his Road Traffic Accident Compensation Bill would “protect other people from experiencing the unfairness of the situation Mr Vanker finds himself in”.

He told MPs the driver’s insurers refused to pay any compensation citing the defence of “automatism”, meaning that events were beyond the driver’s control. Dr Iddon revealed the company also refused to make an ex-gratia payment to Mr Vanker, where some compensation is paid but without any admission of guilt.

The MP believes it is unfair people who suffer life-changing injuries through no fault of their own get no compensation, while those who suffer at the hands of uninsured or untraceable drivers can do so through the Motor Insurance Bureau.

Dr Iddon’s Bill is unlikely to result directly in a change in the law, but he hopes it will gain support from other MPs and also put pressure on the insurance industry to change its rules.

nick.lakeman@theboltonnews.co.uk