A MOTHER who

suffered catastrophic head injuries in a motorbike crash in which her husband was killed has won £2.85 million damages.

Miranda Oakford, now 32, was riding pillion on the Suzuki motorbike driven by her husband, Trevor, when it collided with a Land Rover in Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, four years ago.

The High Court in London heard Mrs Oakford's injuries had meant her relationship with their five-year-old son Anthony had suffered, although she was "anxious to be as loving a parent as possible."

She sued Ian George, who had been driving a van which, her lawyers claimed, had driven into the path of the Land Rover, which collided with the motorbike. Mr

George was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving after a trial in 1996.

Yesterday the High Court heard the two

parties had come to terms and Mrs Oakford's compensation had been agreed at £2,850,000.

The court heard Mrs Oakford had been left with "an extremely severe brain injury" so she was now legally classified as incapable of managing her own affairs and was cared for by her parents. She brought her case to court with her father, Alan Baldry, acting as her "litigation friend".

Her counsel, Raymond Walker, QC, told the court her son "finds it very difficult to relate to his mother at the moment".

The couple lived in Roundstone Drive, East Preston, near Littlehampton. Mr Oakford also had two daughters from a previous marriage, Katherine, now 18, and Sarah, now 15.

Approving the settlement, the judge said: "I wish all those involved in this very, very sad incident the very best of luck."

Mr Oakford, a lorry driver, was killed in the crash and his wife was

airlifted to St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, in a critical condition with severe head injuries.

Police reported at the time that the accident happened when the Land Rover swerved into the path of the motorbike as it tried to avoid an oncoming Ford Transit van.

The van, driven by Mr George, formerly of East Street, Lancing, was turning right into the Crabtree pub, on the A281.

Mr George was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving at Chichester Crown Court.

After the trial Mr George criticised the

makers of a television documentary for featuring the aftermath of the crash.

He claimed the fly-on-the-wall ITV programme, Blues 'n' Twos, which follows the work of the emergency services, could have affected the outcome of the court hearing.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.