An Essex teenager has been awarded £144,000 in compensation after a devastating car crash brought his promising football career to an abrupt end.
Four years ago, on 3rd December 2020, Solomon Griffiths lay on the road in his hometown of Colchester – after being hit by a car that turned across his path as he cycled from school.
The passionate Arsenal supporter remembers the first question he asked paramedics who attended the scene, was if he would be able to play football on the weekend.
The 19-year-old’s case has recently been settled by Manchester firm Veritas Solicitors who secured £144,000 in compensation from the driver’s insurance company.
Reflecting on the fateful day of the accident, Solomon said: “My team had a massive game on that weekend, we were top of the league and were playing against second in the league.
“The paramedic obviously said, ‘no, I don’t think you’ll be playing football for a while.’
“Hearing that was devastating. Playing football was the highlight of my week, I love the buzz of it.
“For 90 minutes you completely forget about everything else, and you just focus on the game.”
Since starting out playing for his local team at the age of five, Solomon was scouted by player development academy, Ipswich Town Foundation, just three years later.
At the time of his accident, Solomon dreamt of playing semi-professionally, and was on track to reach this goal, given the league he was playing in at the time.
“I’ve played football ever since I could walk, my dad kind of put a ball at my feet,” he explained. “At that time, football was all I’d known.
“Hearing that, not only would I miss out on the game at the weekend, but I wouldn’t be going back to play at that level was quite devastating.”
Following news of his new reality, Solomon’s father approached Manchester-based law firm, Veritas Solicitors, to pursue a personal injury claim.
Doctors confirmed that Solomon had fractured his right tibia and fibula and he was able to have surgery to his leg within a couple of days. Unfortunately, he also sustained a severe nerve injury which caused development of claw toe.
The midfielder continued: “I remember when they put the cast on, I couldn’t move my toes. I told them this, but they were saying, it’s fine, it will go back to normal.
“I had my cast on for about three or four months, and this whole time I said my toes weren’t going back to normal.
“I then got put in a moon boot, so I obviously had more freedom with my leg but still I couldn’t move my toes. I kept telling them, and they just kept saying that it would go back to normal.”
With passionate determination to return to the pitch, Solomon attempted to play a local game of football while his toes were paralysed but had to come off after just one minute.
His toes were frozen in a claw position and were being pushed into the ground. As a result, Solomon continuously had ingrown nails on his big toe and had to get the nail removed about four times.
Frustrated about the lack of action from medical professionals, Solomon went to a private doctor and in April 2022, had tendon lengthening surgery to correct the deformity to his toe caused by the nerve damage.
He has since been able to return to football at a local level, but making a career out of it is no longer possible. Instead, Solomon now studies sport therapy at university with the aim of helping sportspeople return from injuries.
“My toes are still very stiff, they don’t have a massive amount of movement in them, but they’re not clawed, so it’s a lot easier to move them and I can play football at local level now as well,” he said.
“I don’t play as well as I used to or the position I did before as I still get stiffness in my whole leg especially during winter.
“However, I look at the positives, that crash could have been the end. I’m thankful to Veritas Solicitors for fighting my corner. They can’t change what happened, but I feel like what they did will help me in life.”
Solomon’s case was successfully settled last month by the Manchester firm, with the driver’s insurance company Aviva Insurance admitting liability and agreeing to pay £144,000 in damages.
Partner and Solicitor at Veritas Solicitors, Amina Ali, called the settlement a meaningful victory for Solomon and a beacon of hope for others whose dreams in sports have been unjustly disrupted.
“Advocating for Solomon and securing fair compensation for his injuries and disrupted athletic career has been truly rewarding,” said Amina.
“No young athlete should have to hear that their dreams are over due to factors beyond their control but it’s encouraging to see that when these situations arise, there is a path to rightful compensation and support.
“To anyone facing similar challenges, I urge you to ensure you seek help and support.”
