A STUDENT who suffered severe brain damage when he was knocked off his bike by a car has won a multi-million pound payout at London’s High Court.

Hamish McCullough, 34, suffered serious head and brain injuries in 2001, when he was involved in the accident close to Kingston Lisle, near Wantage. For the past nine years, he has needed 24-hour care from a number of hospitals and a team of support workers.

He now lives in his own home in Abingdon.

Mr Justice Cooke approved a settlement between Mr McCullough’s legal team and motor insurers which will see him paid a £2,450,000 lump sum.

The accident victim will also receive index-linked and tax free payments of £120,000-a-year to cover the costs of his care for as long as he lives.

Mr McCullough was a 24-year-old student at Oxford Brookes University when he was knocked from his bike as he cycled on Fawler Road, near Kingston Lisle, on July 27, 2001.

He was left in a coma, having suffered a fractured skull and severe brain injuries.

The court heard Mr McCullough spent more than a year in hospital being treated.