£1m for taxi victim robbed of normal life aged just eight

Jennifer Blyth, of Kirkcaldy, was only eight when she was knocked down by a car in August 2000.

She suffered a fractured skull and brain damage that is likely to affect her for the rest of her life.

Ms Blyth, has suffered memory, emotional and cognitive difficulties since the accident in the town's Valley Gardens and cannot leave the house on her own.

Lawyers representing the driver and his then employers, taxi firm Apple Cabs, agreed appropriate compensation this week, and Ms Blyth said the damages awarded should give her a better quality of life.

"There's been a lot affected in my life because of the accident," she said.

"My school work hasn't been the best that I hoped it would be, and my day-to-day life has been affected.

"I can't go out without someone being with me, and I've had memory loss, so it's been really hard.

"I can't remember anything about the accident itself, but obviously I was only eight and I believe I wasn't to blame."

She added: "I'm just glad I didn't have to go to court, because it would have been hard to face the guy that knocked me down."

Personal injury lawyers Digby Brown successfully increased the sum sued for in damages from 500,000 to 1.5 million at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court last month, although the actual settlement figure was less than the upper amount.

Ms Blyth said the injuries she suffered had severely affected her job prospects, adding she would need paid rehabilitation support to help her cope with everyday life.

She added: "When you are eight, you always chop and change what you want to do with your life, but I wanted to do nursing, although you have to go to university and what happened has been holding me back.

"I do want to try doing my standard grades again, because my maths and English aren't great and I want to try to get my grades higher.

"I also want to try to do beauty therapy at college, so hopefully I'll be able to do that, but the accident has really knocked my confidence."

Her mother Elizabeth is just glad that the court process is over and is looking forward to spending more time with her daughter and grandson.

She added: "I just felt we had to go through this for her future and I'm happy it's over with."

Innes Laing, from Digby Brown LLP, stressed that Ms Blyth will need treatment for the rest of her life.

He said: "The reason we were seeking 1.5 million initially is that Jennifer suffered very serious injuries.

"While the final figure agreed was less than that, it's about getting enough money so Jennifer can live as independently as possible."

A spokesman for Glasgow-based Anderson Solicitors, which represented the driver involved and his then employer, did not wish to comment on the outcome of the case.