Hove dad left unable to walk after Land Rover ploughs into him

The last thing Niraj Haria, from Hove, remembers was seeing his daughter take a bottle out of her bag. The next thing he woke up with his head on someone’s lap and his wife beside him. He couldn’t feel his legs.

Niraj had been cycling with his daughter Jamie, now 19, in Southwick in May 2020. It was a warm day and the two went onto the pavement to rehydrate.

A Land Rover coming down Kingston Lane was trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle and overshot onto the pavement.

The vehicle crashed into Niraj, “obliterating” his helmet and sending him flying into a lamppost before slamming onto the ground.

The driver, who was 80 at the time, pleaded guilty to the charge of careless driving. He received five points on his licence and a £333 fine with a surcharge of £34, and costs of £85.

The Land Rover hit Niraj, sending him flying into a lampost (Image: The Argus) Niraj was airlifted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital where he remained in an induced coma for a month. After two months at the Royal Sussex, he was transferred to Stoke Mandeville, where he remained for fourth months.

Niraj’s spine and all his ribs were broken, he suffered a low to medium risk head injury, a fractured and dislocated arm and the ball of the humerus ended up in his chest cavity – “it had to be fished out and reattached by the surgeon”.

After Stoke Mandeville, Niraj spent two months at Royal Buckinghamshire hospital. Five hours of rehabilitation, six days a week “worked wonders” for Niraj and he left the hospital on crutches. Back at home, he mourned the many months lost in hospital – “I missed my son’s voice breaking” – but was able to walk 2km every day in Hove Park.

Then he noticed that his left leg had started to drag on the floor and that his hip was hurting. An MRI scan revealed a syrinx, a fluid-filled cyst which had developed in his spinal cord. Fluid usually flows around the outside of the brain and spinal cord, but its path had been blocked by metal placed inside Niraj following the accident.

Months of rehabilitation had allowed Niraj to walk again until the major setback caused by the syrinx (Image: Supplied) As the syrinx continued to grow, it damaged more of Niraj’s nerves. As a last resort, doctors said they could perform a “very dangerous” operation to remove the cyst. The operation carries a 40 per cent chance of death but without it, Niraj risked becoming paralysed from the neck down.

Although the operation was a success, neurological damage caused by the syrinx left Niraj unable to walk and reliant on a wheelchair. 

Niraj said: “The last four years have been a real challenge for me and my family. The impact of my injuries on all of us has been profound. I went from being a heathy and active man, with a career and the peak of my physical fitness, to being unemployed, disabled and a full-time wheelchair user.”

Niraj came to the UK at 17 from Kenya. After studying electronic computing at the University of Brighton, he worked as a technical sales manager for over 20 years. His wife, Julie, had to take months off work to help care for him and he has been forced to give up this career.

Niraj Harai says the past four years have been a real challenge (Image: Supplied)

Prior to the accident, Niraj was a very keen sportsman. He played golf and squash to a high level, coached Sunday league football and was training for a half marathon.

Following the collision, Niraj instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to take up his case and help him access the specialist lifelong treatment and rehabilitation he requires.

Thanks to the firm, which obtained compensation from the insurance company of the driver, he has been able to purchase a Paramotion Golf Chair which has helped him to “get back to what I love”.

Niraj and his family are also “big fans” and season ticket holders of Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

A Paramotion Golf Chair has helped Niraj begin to get back to what he loves (Image: Supplied) After realising that Albion was one of only two clubs in the premier league that didn’t have a disability board, Niraj co-founded the Seagulls Disability Supporters Association (“Seagulls DSA”) to promote the interests of disabled fans and encourage attendance at games.

Niraj said: “My life has completely changed, and I’ve changed as a person. The world just isn’t set up for disability. Everything has to be planned meticulously. When I travel, it’s worse than travelling with babies. Life is extremely difficult.

“People need to know and understand about paraplegia – the more people know, the better.”