Royal Navy technician, 27, sues the Ministry of Defence for £200,000 after he lost an eye when a helicopter antennae plunged into his eye socket

A Royal Navy technician is suing the Ministry of Defence for £200,000 after losing an eye in a helicopter accident.

Elliott Courtman was lashing down a Merlin Mark 2 helicopter on the UK’s flagship Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in darkness in 2020 when an antennae plunged into his eye.

The 27-year-old suffered a penetrating injury to his left eye which surgeons could not save and were forced to remove it.

He later developed an infection in the eye socket when an implant was fitted, for which he needed further surgery before the prosthesis was replaced, his claim at the High Court states.

The Ministry of Defence has admitted to a breach of their duty of care to Mr Courtman following the accident on 26th June 2020.

The royal navy technician was lashing down a helicopter on the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier at night when an antennae hit his eye in 2020

But the government department cannot agree a financial settlement him and now the High Court will decide.

Mr Courtman, from Chichester, West Sussex, now suffers from reduced visibility, regularly collides with objects, has difficulty with the perception of depth and cannot work with dangerous moving objects.

He needs to wear protective glasses and goggles and his physical appearance has been dramatically altered.

Mr Courtman is also at risk of becoming completely blind from the accident which can lead to a condition called sympathetic ophthalmia, which would result in the loss of sight in his right eye.

He has also suffered psychologically from the injury which ended his career in the Royal Navy.

He claims he cannot now get a well-paid job and his seeking damages because of this.

Mr Courtman was just 21 when he joined the Royal Navy in March 2018 to serve as a Royal Naval Air Service [RNAS] engineering technician.

The Ministry of Defence has admitted a breach of their duty of care to Mr Courtman, who whose physical appearance has been altered and now must wear protective glasses

A year later he was selected for the fast-track promotion scheme.

He was also a keen soccer player and captained the RNAS Culdrose football team.

Mr Courtman joined the crew of the HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier in May 2020 when he claims he was required to work for more than 50 days without a break.

His colleagues had previously complained of fatigue due to the night-time 7pm until 4am shifts, during which the accident occurred.

Mr Courtman claims he was not warned of the protruding antennae at the front of the Merlin Mark 2 helicopter and maintains there had been many ‘near miss’ incidents of crew servicing the aircraft.

Following his catastrophic accident, blanks were fitted to all the helicopters’ antennae and aerials.