Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A £300,000 settlement, plus legal costs, has been agreed in a civil claim brought by the estate of a man who died following a road traffic collision on Queensway Road in 2021.
Court documents obtained by GBC show liability was apportioned on a 60/40 basis between the driver who caused the accident and the Gibraltar Health Authority, which treated the man following the collision.
The 55-year-old was riding his motorcycle along Queensway Road in April 2021 when then-26-year-old Julian Ellul turned across his path, causing a collision.
The motorcyclist died two days later.
The following year, Mr Ellul pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to four years in prison, although this was later reduced on appeal.
During the sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Chris Finch argued there had been serious shortcomings in the medical care the motorcyclist received while at St Bernard’s Hospital.
A civil claim subsequently brought by his estate alleged failures by doctors to recognise and treat internal bleeding, despite warning signs including severe abdominal pain and declining blood pressure.
It also alleged delays and shortcomings in the management of his deteriorating condition.
The claim says St Bernard’s CT scanner was not working, meaning the patient was transferred to Spain for a scan, which identified free fluid in his abdomen. He was then returned to Gibraltar where it says he could not be properly monitored.
The claim states that, had the GHA not been negligent, the man would have survived the internal bleeding.
A subsequent inquest, almost four years after the accident, concluded that the man’s death was “a direct consequence of the injuries sustained in the road traffic collision, contributed to by a delay in recognising the intra-abdominal haemorrhage.”
Coroner Charles Bonfante also made a number of recommendations aimed at improving trauma care at the GHA.
The civil proceedings have now concluded.
Court documents show liability was agreed at 60% for Mr Ellul and 40% for the Gibraltar Health Authority, with the man’s estate to receive £300,000 in full and final settlement of the claim. The defendants were also ordered to pay £125,000 towards the claimant’s legal costs.
The court order also states that the defendants are jointly liable. This means the full settlement can, if necessary, be recovered from either defendant, with any issue over their respective shares to be resolved between the defendants themselves.
GBC has asked the Government and the GHA whether the Coroner’s recommendations have now been fully implemented, what changes have been made to trauma procedures and emergency care since the case, how the effectiveness of those changes is being monitored, and for comment on the civil settlement.
Katy Docker reporting.
A £300,000 settlement, plus legal costs, has been agreed in a civil claim brought by the estate of a man who died following a road traffic collision on Queensway Road in 2021.
Court documents obtained by GBC show liability was apportioned on a 60/40 basis between the driver who caused the accident and the Gibraltar Health Authority, which treated the man following the collision.
The 55-year-old was riding his motorcycle along Queensway Road in April 2021 when then-26-year-old Julian Ellul turned across his path, causing a collision.
The motorcyclist died two days later.
The following year, Mr Ellul pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to four years in prison, although this was later reduced on appeal.
During the sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Chris Finch argued there had been serious shortcomings in the medical care the motorcyclist received while at St Bernard’s Hospital.
A civil claim subsequently brought by his estate alleged failures by doctors to recognise and treat internal bleeding, despite warning signs including severe abdominal pain and declining blood pressure.
It also alleged delays and shortcomings in the management of his deteriorating condition.
The claim says St Bernard’s CT scanner was not working, meaning the patient was transferred to Spain for a scan, which identified free fluid in his abdomen. He was then returned to Gibraltar where it says he could not be properly monitored.
The claim states that, had the GHA not been negligent, the man would have survived the internal bleeding.
A subsequent inquest, almost four years after the accident, concluded that the man’s death was “a direct consequence of the injuries sustained in the road traffic collision, contributed to by a delay in recognising the intra-abdominal haemorrhage.”
Coroner Charles Bonfante also made a number of recommendations aimed at improving trauma care at the GHA.
The civil proceedings have now concluded.
Court documents show liability was agreed at 60% for Mr Ellul and 40% for the Gibraltar Health Authority, with the man’s estate to receive £300,000 in full and final settlement of the claim. The defendants were also ordered to pay £125,000 towards the claimant’s legal costs.
The court order also states that the defendants are jointly liable. This means the full settlement can, if necessary, be recovered from either defendant, with any issue over their respective shares to be resolved between the defendants themselves.
GBC has asked the Government and the GHA whether the Coroner’s recommendations have now been fully implemented, what changes have been made to trauma procedures and emergency care since the case, how the effectiveness of those changes is being monitored, and for comment on the civil settlement.
Katy Docker reporting.
