{"id":1085569,"date":"2026-07-13T01:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1085569\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T01:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:02:19","slug":"it-was-a-sliding-doors-moment-if-i-had-not-gone-out-then-i-wouldnt-have-been-run-over-by-that-police-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1085569\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It was a Sliding Doors moment, if I had not gone out then I wouldn\u2019t have been run over by that police car\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paul Wells\u2019 life changed forever in December 2005<\/strong><\/p>\n

MORE than 20 years after losing his leg when he was hit by a police car, a man has spoken about the lasting effects of that fateful day in Camden Road.<\/p>\n

Paul Wells, 62, had been out doing some shopping when he was struck while crossing the road on December 21 2005. The unmarked police car was travelling at 47 miles per hour without lights or sirens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think, what if I hadn\u2019t gone out Christmas shopping that day?,\u201d\u2008he said this week. \u201cWhat if I had just stayed in? It\u2019s sliding doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u2008New Journal reported on the incident at the time amid the concerns that his limb would have to be amputated, and the worst fears came true in 2018 when Mr Wells suffered years of chronic infection. \u201cSliding doors\u201d became a popular phrase after the 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow about how the course of somebody\u2019s life can change in a single moment.<\/p>\n

After decades of working as a carpet fitter in Tufnell Park, he was unable to return to work following the operation to remove his leg. Now, permanently disabled, he had been living on his Personal Independence Payments (PIP) until they were suddenly stopped in September last year.<\/p>\n

Since then Mr Wells said his life has been in tatters, having fallen into debt and now unable to pay his bills. He said he has been relying on the Euston Foodbank, close to Somers Town.<\/p>\n

He suggested the payment he had received from the Metropolitan Police was simply not enough for the long-term damage it caused.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I would ever come back to sanity, waking up and looking down and realising that the leg was no longer there. It pushed me over the edge and questioned whether Paul was going to be there any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Wells had been living in Agar Grove at the time of the incident.\u00a0 He had been heading to Camden Town tube station to travel to the West End to buy some last-minute presents. He broke his leg in seven places and dislocated his shoulder after being thrown 20 feet from the impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t lose consciousness and could see both bones, my tib and fib, coming up through my jeans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never broken a bone in my body up until that stage. I knew I was in trouble but pain wise I think the shock or the adrenaline covered that. \u201cThe police did get out of the car, but didn\u2019t apologise or say sorry. I don\u2019t believe they went out to knock me over that day. It was just an accident and I understand why they didn\u2019t say sorry because it would have been them admitting they were in the wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the end of the day they crippled me, whether it was an accident or not. And all of this now \u2013 with the PIP \u2013 it\u2019s almost like the system is being spiteful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six years after the incident, Mr Wells received a payment from the Met:\u2008a \u00a353,000 settlement reached out of court.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIn the end I got so fed up, because of my injuries and no one knew whether it was permanent or not \u2013 so I couldn\u2019t get disability living allowance. I was snookered. For nearly five years I had no income at all. Nothing. My family were looking after me, feeding me and housing me but I had forgotten what it was like to have just \u00a350 in your pocket. I just didn\u2019t have an income at all. It put me in such a low mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Wells added: \u201cIn the end I said to the solicitors that it\u2019s been six years already \u2013 but they told me if I settled now it would be final, even if I lost my leg in the future. I knew that but I thought I could be waiting the rest of my life, and in the meantime I was getting worse and worse. My mental health suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

The size of the settlement compared with the later outcome of losing his leg remains a source of frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up getting \u00a353,000 \u2013which is appalling,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it had been a school teacher it probably would have been more. Whether you\u2019re a millionaire or a tramp it shouldn\u2019t matter, if they have run you over they have run you over. The reality is they were never going to give me much.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was in August 2018, after years of treatment at UCLH and 17 operations, that consultants told Mr Wells his leg would have to be amputated because of years of chronic infection.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy consultant said they had tried everything, but the infection was so bad,\u201d\u2008he said. \u201cI thought I\u2019d be prepared for losing it, but nothing prepares you for looking down and not seeing your leg there any more. I was like a passionate child before, insisting to doctors I would never go in a wheelchair and that my life wasn\u2019t going to change. I\u2019m not proud of that behaviour looking back, but losing it, it\u2019s like losing part of you.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the stump changes shape \u2013 what\u2019s rubbing now won\u2019t necessarily be the same in two months, you are always trying to compromise and put up with constant pain. Some days I can barely walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Wells lived in Iverson Road, West Hampstead, until he was seven years old before moving to Agar Grove where he attended Brecknock Primary School and Acland Burghley School.<\/p>\n

He later worked as a fitter at B&R Carpets in Tufnell Park opposite his former secondary school. \u201cI\u2019ve never not worked. I liked that you weren\u2019t in the same place every day. One week I could be in Liverpool the next in Milton Keynes or Kentish Town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t bored by my surroundings and I\u2019d been really careful to never get into debt. I\u2019ve never had credit cards, and was extra careful with my pay-out, but really my life changed in that one day. Sometimes it is the hand you are played in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: \u201cThe Met acknowledges the impact that this collision had, and continues to have, on Mr Wells\u2019 life. Our legal team worked closely with those involved to reach a settlement in 2011. Given the time that has passed, we are unable to comment on the specific nature of this settlement in the time frame provided.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have contacted our archive colleagues to see whether there is a hard copy of this settlement, however this could take some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carpet fitter who lost leg relies on food bank after welfare cut<\/p>\n

PAUL Wells said this week he feels betrayed by the removal of support which helped him live with a permanent disability.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s decision last year to cut back on\u2008Personal\u2008Independence Payments [PIP] was removing a lifeline for people in his position, he warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve voted Labour all my life but they have come in this time and taken everything away,\u201d\u2008he said. \u201cI feel really betrayed. I get my money in this hand and it\u2019s gone. I still feel embarrassed that I\u2019m having to go to a food bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never had to use it before, even though I knew it had been there for a long time. \u201cI really felt for the people that had to \u2013 thinking what an awful situation that is to be in. There are nurses that use that food bank and work full time. What is going wrong with this country?\u201d<\/p>\n

There were protests outside parliament after the government announced a shake-up over who would qualify for help.<\/p>\n

Mr Wells was receiving the benefit for seven years after his leg was amputated and he was unable to work. He suffers from chronic pain and respiratory issues.<\/p>\n

He said he received a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions last summer informing him that all claims were being reviewed, but that he was receiving the right Mobility and Daily living allowance and that his claim would not be looked at again before 2027.<\/p>\n

Months later he found the support had suddenly ended, only after attempting to pay his phone bill, realising he had insufficient funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt night I barely have a light on,\u201d\u2008said Mr Wells. \u201cI\u2019m having to save where I can.\u201d He has appealed this decision and a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: \u201cWe\u2019re sorry to hear about Mr Wells\u2019 situation. Entitlement to PIP is determined by the impact a health condition or disability has on a person\u2019s ability to carry out daily living and mobility activities, rather than on a diagnosis alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case has been back to the independent Assessment Provider for further review and any comments or revised recommendations will be considered by the Department.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government is proposing to tighten eligibility for the daily living component of PIP by introducing a new eligibility rule. Disabled people who currently qualify because they have difficulties across several everyday activities could lose their payments if they do not score at least four points in one single activity, even if they meet the existing overall points threshold. A report on welfare benefits is due to be published at the end of this month with final recommendations due in the autumn.<\/p>\n

This review is being led by Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability, and was announced after a rebellion on Labour\u2019s backbenches against the proposed cuts.<\/p>\n

Mr Wells said the Euston Foodbank had been a \u201clifesaver\u201d, but he now was concerned by reports that its future is uncertain. Volunteers have described empty shelves in the food bank\u2019s stores and criticised the charity\u2019s governance over the past six months. Once serving more than 400 families a week, feeding over 1,000 people, it has now reduced its provision to just 120 households a week.<\/p>\n

The trustees of Euston Foodbank said: \u201cWe are confident that Euston Foodbank is not facing closure. It continues to support thousands of people during their hardest moments across the community. We are currently undergoing a period of change to improve our services. Euston Foodbank continues to distribute emergency food parcels to people facing hunger and hardship, but on a smaller scale to ensure we have the resources to provide more effective advice and support, so that people are less likely to need to turn to a food bank again. See Comment, page 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Paul Wells\u2019 life changed forever in December 2005 MORE than 20 years after losing his leg when he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1085570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,108626,64427,487,393,4884,257,280738,18394,16,15],"class_list":["post-1085569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-london","tag-britain","tag-caitlin-maskell","tag-camden-town","tag-cost-of-living","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-london","tag-somers-town","tag-the-camden-new-journal","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116909974925712269","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1085569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1085570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1085569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1085569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1085569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}