Hollywood director who worked on Pirates of the Caribbean sues for £850,000 after crash 'ends his career'

David Pinkus was an assistant director on Pirates Of The Caribbean before collision on M4

A Former Hollywood director who claims his career was wrecked by the traumatic effects of a high-speed road crash is suing for £850,000 in damages.

David Pinkus, 56, was an assistant director on hit films including X-Men, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Robin Hood but says he is now unable to work after the collision on the M4 in August 2012.

He told the High Court he lost his job on action thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit when he was “volatile” in the aftermath of the crash, and claims that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms including flashbacks and depression.

Insurance firm Direct Line has accepted that the other driver was to blame but is contesting the circumstances of the crash, as well as the £850,000 damages claim.

David Pinkus is suing over a road crash that 'ended his career'
NEV AYLING

Mr Pinkus, of Mortlake, told the court that his career was on an “upwards trajectory” with films including Green Zone, World War Z and Prince Of Persia in his growing portfolio.

But his memory is now “completely shot to pieces” and he is physically unable to work full-time, said his barrister Marcus Grant.

Mr Pinkus claims the crash happened when a black Mercedes “swerved across three lanes” at speeds of nearly 100mph, striking his vehicle and ramming it towards the central reservation.

Fighting the claim, Direct Line says Mr Pinkus only suffered “minor soft-tissue injuries”, and the anxiety he suffered was “mild” and short-lived.

“It is our case that the road accident was not significantly traumatising and did not have the immediate and profound psychological effect which Mr Pinkus asserts”, said the insurance company’s barrister, William Audland QC. He said Mr Pinkus drove on to work after the crash and later posted about it on Facebook.

Mr Audland told the court the damages claim was worth just £2,500 and argued that Mr Pinkus had exaggerated his PTSD symptoms — either “consciously or unconsciously” — and given “differing” accounts of the circumstances of the crash.

He claimed that Mr Pinkus lost his job on the Jack Ryan film because his fixed-term contract came to an end.

The High Court hearing continues.

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