CHARITABLE organisations providing care for accident victims where someone is to blame may now be compensated following a landmark settlement.

Oxford-based hospice Helen & Douglas House has received £95,000 for the care of a toddler who received serious injuries in a car crash and subsequently died.

The money was part of an out-of-court civil settlement between the Oxford child’s father and the at-fault driver’s insurance company.

Joseph Gipps was just 15 months old when he and his mother Ellie Bongers – a 32-year-oldformer teacher in Thame – died following a head-on car crash in Tackley just before Christmas 2009.

The toddler’s father Dr Richard Gipps survived the collision after suffering minor injuries.

His son spent three months at Helen & Douglas House in East Oxford before he died from his injuries aged 20 months.

In May last year, Sally Rundle, then 72 and of Bodicote, admitted two charges of causing death by dangerous driving and was given a suspended prison sentence.

Rundle, who had drunk a small whisky and small glass of wine two hours before the crash, was driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit the family car.

She was given a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years, 150 hours' unpaid work and told to pay £1,500 costs.

Dr Gipps began civil action againt her insurance company in February 2010, and more than two years later has finally settled his claim.

In addition to the £95,000 for the hospice, Dr Gipps has also received an undisclosed amount as part of the compensation settlement for loss of his and his wife’s earnings.

This is the first time an accident victim or their family suing the perpetrator has been able to include a charitable care provider within the compensation package.

Dr Gipps, a doctor of psychology based in Summertown, said: “I hope it will be useful for parents of children in hospices to know that these kind of funds maybe available from insurance companies.

“It is an extremely expensive business running a hospice and why should anyone other than the person who caused my son’s injuries, or their insurance company, have to pay for his care? It seems the just thing to do.”

Dr Gipp was represented by law firm Irwin Mitchell. Stephen Nye, a lawyer and serious injury expert with the firm, said the decision could lead to similar settlements across the UK.

He said: “I would hope that this would encourage other individuals to try to recover hospice costs wherever possible, as all sources of income for hospices need to be explored in these difficult times.”

Helen & Douglas House chief executive Tom Hill said: “The award reflects the value of the intense care provided to Joseph over many weeks and the emotional and practical support that Helen House provided for his family.

“I am indebted to Dr Gipps for so graciously thinking about Helen House whilst dealing with his own pain and grief.”