A former British Army motorcycle stunt rider is suing the Ministry of Defence after being left in chronic pain after performing a human pyramid display.
James Cotterill, who performed at hundreds of displays during a four-year stint with the White Helmets, accuses the MoD of failing to carry out adequate risk assessments of the team’s stunts.
The 38-year-old claims that he has been left in near-permanent pain caused by repeated falls during stunt training and performing.
He claims he has been deprived of landing his dream job as a helicopter pilot and now restores furniture for a living instead, The Telegraph reports.
Mr Cotterill was with the White Helmets team until 2012, during which time he performed acrobatic motorbike stunts at around 50 events a year, including for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But after four years, he was medically discharged from the Army with severe injuries, dashing his hopes of serving for at least 22 years.
Despite barely having ridden a motorbike when he first joined the White Helmets, Mr Cotterill soon found himself learning stunts such as the pillion headstand. This involved standing on his head facing backwards on a motorbike while another team members steered the vehicle with his hips.
He also had to learn the human pyramid and claims he would usually be at the bottom and had the weight of his colleague passing through his neck, shoulders and spine.
James Cotterill (pictured), who performed at hundreds of displays during a four-year stint with the White Helmets, accuses the MoD of failing to carry out adequate risk assessments of the team’s stunts
Mr Cotterill had to learn the human pyramid and claims he would usually be at the bottom and had the weight of his colleague passing through his neck, shoulders and spine. (File image of soldiers from the White Helmets)
Mr Cotterill will tell the High Court that he suffered numerous falls during his training, which he alleges took place on concrete at a disused airfield or waste ground with no crash mats or protective clothing.
He astonishingly claims that he would fall off his bike up to 50 times a day, landing on his head, neck shoulders and spine.
Mr Cotterill alleges that it left him with cognitive and psychological injuries and that he would have to ask colleagues to massage him to reduce pain and take painkillers.
He left in 2012 to train with the Army Air Corps but found sitting in the helicopter pilot’s seat for long periods prevented him from moving around to ease his pain.
Mr Cotterill will tell the Royal Courts of Justice that while he was flying at night in Norway, wearing night vision goggles increased the load on his spine, forcing him to seek medical help as it was so painful.
The former stunt rider was then suspending from flying on medical grounds before being medically discharged from the British Army in 2022 due to the spinal pain.
He claims he is unable to stay in one position for more than half an hour and struggles to play with his young children or help his wife around the house.
And he also alleges it has led to problems with spatial awareness, poor memory and challenges with processing instructions, leaving him depressed and angry.
His lawyers, from Simpson Millar, claim he is suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive condition which is hard to diagnose.
Mr Cotterill is seeking provisional damages which would allow him to return to court for further compensation should his condition worsen.
He has filed 22 allegations of negligence against the MoD and claims they were not taught how to break falls and that the shock and vibrations went through the rider and passenger due to inadequate suspension systems in the motorbikes.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment while legal proceedings are taking place.’
