IN a unique case, a Bolton teenager has won an undisclosed sum in compensation after a crash which took place before he was even born.

Wheelchair-dependent Mackenzie Bailey, 17, was born with cerebral palsy in 1999 and is permanently disabled.

His pregnant birth mother had earlier been involved in a road accident and Mackenzie's legal team claimed that had caused his injuries.

His natural father, who was at the wheel of the crashed car, did not have insurance, Mr Justice Foskett told London's High Court today.

So Mackenzie's lawyers sued the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), the industry body that compensates victims of uninsured drivers.

The MIB disputed claims that the accident, in which Mackenzie's mother suffered a broke leg, was the cause of his disabilities.

And the issue of whether or not he had been injured in the womb lay "at the heart" of the dispute, said the judge.

But today, the MIB agreed to a confidential financial settlement of Mackenzie's claim, making a trial of the case unnecessary.

Approving the deal, Mr Justice Foskett said it was in Mackenzie's 'best interests'.

"It is a level of compensation which will go some way to making his life and that of those who look after him easier."

Mackenzie is 'happily in a much better state than some claimants that I see in cases that come before me', added the judge.

The teenager is now cared for by his adoptive parents.