A FERNHURST man is entitled to claim up to £500,000 damages from Witley Parish Council for an accident in January 2012 that left him in a coma for seven days.

Ex-bus driver Andrew Cavanagh, 57, was in a single-decker Stagecoach bus on the A283 Petworth Road in the centre of Witley when a giant lime tree crashed on to his cab, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.

Mr Kavanagh sued both Witley Parish Council and its tree surgeon David Kevin Shepherd for damages in the High Court in December. The judge Sir Alistair MacDuff ruled he was entitled to compensation from the parish council but not from Mr Shepherd, on Tuesday.

A parish council spokesman said. “We are disappointed with the judgement and are actively pursuing the matter with our lawyer. We are unable to comment further.”