Royal Navy career ended by life changing injury

The impact of a military eye injury

Our client, Elliott Courtman, joined the navy at age 21, in 2018. He showed incredible promise over the following two years and was deployed on the Queen Elizabeth carrier in June 2020. Whilst completing a routine task on a helicopter, Elliott suffered a life-changing injury.

Elliott lost his left eye after it was pierced by a helicopter aerial, while he was lashing it to the deck. As the aerial did not have a foam cover – something that only became mandatory after Elliott's injury- and it pierced his eyeball, leaving him with a catastrophic injury. In an effort to return to a sense of normality, Elliott went back to work after a few weeks. Elliott said: “In times like this, you really need someone at work looking out for you, to say ‘take some time off, you’re not OK’, but that didn’t happen. I went to a very bad place through trying to pretend everything was alright, but really, I was far from alright.

“There is a culture in the Navy where you just get on with things, crack on with your job, and that’s part of the problem.”

Initially, medics did try to save Elliott’s eye by sewing it back together, in hopes of him regaining some sight. However, due to a severe infection, Elliot had to have his eye removed in December 2021.

After this career-ending injury, Elliott suffered from poor mental health saying he had been in a ‘very bad place’ after the accident. Medics told Elliott to download an app for mental health support and in response to this advice, he is calling for more support from the Navy and MoD (Ministry of Defence), to help deal with psychological trauma like his.

Elliott said: “I think there needs to be recognition that we need support, particularly after something like what happened to me. I was told to download a mental health app which could help me – but I my eye has just been skewered. I’m not sure that’s really going to work”.

“Young men who experience trauma probably don’t know what to do – and that’s why proper support is so important and really needs to be there.”

Securing support for a military injury

Through his military injury claim, our team secured rapid access to private medical treatment for Elliott, and therapy to address his trauma. In addition to this, we negotiated a settlement from the MoD for Elliott.

Talking about his experience after contacting us, Elliott said: “All of a sudden it was like someone understood. I felt listened to... I was no longer expected to just get on with stuff – it was like help had come at last, some of which I probably didn’t even realise I needed.”

Making a claim for a military injury with Slater and Gordon

At Slater and Gordon, we take pride in our support of members of the armed forces. We work to offer support and expert advice from day one. We have a long-standing connection with military personnel, and all cases are handled by specialists with experience in dealing with military injury cases.

Further to offering legal support, our team works closely with several charities, including Adaptive Grandslam and The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC), and often take part in fundraising activities, giving us an even deeper understanding of the community and your values.

We have a deep understanding of military law and expertise in handling complex military injury claims, and we’re committed to guiding you through your legal journey and beyond. If you would like more information on military claims, our experts are on hand to help.