Furious father Michael Hockley told today of his nine-year battle to win compensation following a horrific road smash in America which almost killed his two sons.

Mr Hockley, 47, an air traffic controller who lives in Abingdon, was enjoying a tourist trip to the west coast of Florida with his family in 1989 when tragedy struck.

A Ford Mustang driven by a State Trooper in Fort Pierce careered into the Hockleys' hire car.

Mr Hockley's sons Ashley, now nine, and Alex, now 13, lapsed into comas after the police officer smashed into them, speeding at 75mph in a 30mph zone.

Alex was thrown through the rear windscreen in his child seat and came to rest 15ft away from the car but sustained less serious injuries than his brother. Ashley, who was 15 months old at the time, came out of his coma five days after the accident, following treatment in intensive care at the Lawnwood Medical Centre but suffered brain damage. Mr Hockley, of Orpwood Way, whose wife Sally, 43, also suffered severe leg injuries, said: "When that car hit us, all hell broke loose and I was running round like a headless chicken trying to check to see if everyone was all right.

"The accident happened on October 1, 1989, and the State of Florida admitted liability but we have still not been properly compensated.

"Two years ago, a civil court in Florida awarded us about £100,000 compensation but to this day we have not received a penny and have had to battle every step of the way for what we are legally entitled to.

"I have made numerous trips to Florida following the accident which totally changed our lives.

"Since the smash, we have been treated very badly by the American authorities and on my next trip I am considering burning the Stars and Stripes on the front lawn of the State Governor's office to make my point."

"We were British tourists in America for what should have been a wonderful holiday and our lives were ruined by a State Trooper who was speeding.

"We later discovered that he was taking a drunk to jail and decided to speed up to give him a scare. Instead, he smashed straight into us."

Mrs Hockley, who had keyhole surgery on one of her legs two weeks ago, said: "It has been a living hell and we have been forced to live a life within a life.

"It was very hard for me after the accident because I was so physically active beforehand. I have vowed never to set foot in the United States again.

We have all suffered terribly and we want the compensation payment now so that we can forget about what happened and get on with our lives."

Mr Hockley works as an air traffic controller at the London Air Traffic Control Centre near Heathrow.

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