A GRANDMOTHER who was left severely brain damaged after she was hit by a police car has received more than £3m in compensation.

Linda Donaldson was hit on a pelican crossing as the patrol car drove through a red light while responding to a 999 call to a shop, where a group of youths were reported to be stealing drinks and sandwiches.

The mother-of-three was struck as police officer Philip Wilkinson was overtaking parked cars in Welbeck Road, in the Walker area of Newcastle.

She suffered internal bleeding, a broken collarbone and pelvis, and a blood clot on her brain.

The 26-year-old police officer later admitted dangerous driving at Newcastle Crown Court and received a six-month suspended prison sentence.

He was forced to resign from Northumbria Police following the accident in April 2002.

Mrs Donaldson was left in a coma for more than six months and her husband, John, was warned that, even if she survived, she would be brain dead.

Now, five years after the accident, she is confined to a wheelchair and needs to be fed and washed, although she recently managed to kiss her husband and mutter the words "hello" and "morning".

The 55-year-old will need 24-hour care from a team of assistants for the rest of her life.

Mr Donaldson lodged a claim with the High Court, in London, for £3.7m but the force has now settled out of court.

Last night, Mr Donaldson declined to discuss the settlement but it is understood to be at least £2m, on top of more than £1m Northumbria Police has already paid for medical care and a specially-adapted home in the Heaton area of the city.

Mr Donaldson, 56, said: "This money is not for me or the rest of the family. It will be spent on keeping Linda comfortable for the rest of her life and getting her the best care available.

"It's been a long, hard fight and I feel a lot of weight has fallen off my shoulders now I know she is set. We are making the best of a bad job."

Northumbria Police declined to comment, other than to confirm the two parties had agreed the basis for a final settlement.

The settlement comes after figures from the Independent Police Complaints Commission showed 32 people killed by police cars last year, five times more than a decade earlier

The Police Federation recently said forces were not funding proper police driver training.

Mr Donaldson, who is campaigning for tighter restrictions on police pursuits, wants black boxes in police vehicles so the driver's actions can be recorded.

He said: "The police are letting these kids drive around in high-powered cars. I still see them now flying around the streets with their lights and sirens on.

"Fair enough, they have to catch criminals, but there must be some better way of doing it.

"The so-called emergency that happened on the day my wife was hit turned out to be kids stealing pop and sandwiches from a shop. I don't want anyone else to be killed or to suffer what we've been through."