A SEVEN figure compensation package has been awarded to a cyclist who was left severely disabled after being hit by an 89 year-old driver with sight problems.

Christine Glennon suffered severe spinal injuries, leaving her wheelchair-bound, after the collision along Shoemoor Lane in Frieth, near Marlow.

The High Wycombe woman, in her 60s, was left tetraplegic.

An out of court settlement, said to be substantial and in seven figures, has been received this week to help her cope with her now radically altered life.

After the collision it was found that the driver was only able to read a number plate from a distance of 4.87 metres.

Yet the DVLA requires drivers to be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away, therefore making him unfit to drive.

Christine Glennon said: “My life changed dramatically after the collision and I strongly feel eye tests should be implemented for older drivers. If these eye tests were compulsory perhaps horrible accidents like this could be avoided in the future.”

The million pound plus settlement will enable Mrs Glennon and her husband Pat to move to a more suitable home for her needs.

Mrs Glennon said she felt 'extremely lucky' to have been a member of national cycling organisation – the CTC.

She thanked the CTC's solicitors – Russell Jones & Walker – for helping to get the settlement resolved in under two years.

“The speed in which this was achieved has allowed me to move home which was essential to starting a new life and moving on from this terrible ordeal,” she said.

The defendant’s insurance company, Equity Group, made an early admission of liability and paid interim payments; the out of court settlement was inclusive of this.

Roger Geffen, campaigns and policy director at CTC, said it was a 'horrific collision'.

He said: “It shows the importance of more regular testing of people’s fitness to drive.

“No doubt the 89 year old driver in this case is devastated by what he has done.

“However, by driving with defective eyesight he was putting other people’s lives and limbs at risk and Mrs Glennon has paid a terrible price for his actions.”

The case also showed the importance of insurance and legal representation when life-changing injuries occur, he added.