A man who almost died in a car crash which killed his best friend is claiming £50,000 damages from the driver who caused the crash.

A date has been set for 32-year-old Alan Ratnam's High Court bid for compensation from Trampas McIvor, from Uckfield.

Mr McIvor was convicted of careless driving after his van veered across the A22, hitting a car and crashing into Michael Foster's van at The Dicker, near Hailsham, in October 2000.

Mr McIvor was fined £300 and given five points on his licence by Eastbourne magistrates in May 2001.

Mr Ratnam, of Whitley Road, Eastbourne, was airlifted to Eastbourne District General Hospital with broken legs and a dislocated right knee.

He spent a fortnight in a coma and has been unable to work since the accident.

He still has difficulty walking and has to use crutches or a wheelchair.

Mr Ratnam is originally from Sri Lanka but moved to England in 1996.

He had been training to become an engineer while funding himself by working part-time at Tesco in Eastbourne.

Mr McIvor's insurers have admitted liability but claim Mr Ratnam was not wearing a seatbelt, a claim he denies.

The court hearing is scheduled to last from January 24 to 28 next year.

Geraint Thomas, Mr Ratnam's solicitor, said: "Unfortunately he's still in a very bad way.

"He still needs a lot of surgical intervention and is due to have another operation at Eastbourne very soon.

"Fixing a High Court date now offers a sign of light at the end of the tunnel. But he's very concerned about whether he's going to be able to get around in any proper way in the future."

Mr McIvor's insurers did not wish to comment ahead of the hearing.