A NORTH-EAST soldier left severely injured when his armoured car careered off a mountain road in Bosnia lost his final bid for compensation yesterday.

Private John Paul Young sued the Ministry of Defence over an accident in which his vehicle commander, Lance Corporal Steven Thirlwell, was killed.

Their armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) crashed through a barrier and plunged down a 30ft cliff as Pte Young was driving along a treacherous route in Bosnia in 1996.

L Cpl Thirlwell was in the turret of the AFV as it careered off the road after failing to negotiate the left-hand bend. He died when he was impaled on his own rifle in the headlong fall.

Pte Young, of the Green Howards, suffered multiple injuries, including broken legs. He also later suffered post traumatic stress disorder.

Although still serving in the Army, his duties are now primarily clerical, it was revealed outside court yesterday.

Pte Young - from Loftus, near Redcar, Teesside - had no recollection of the accident, but his lawyers claimed it resulted from defects in the AFV in the shape of faulty brakes and steering mechanisms.

In September last year, at Middlesborough County Court, Judge Tony Briggs dismissed his damages claim against the MoD, concluding that the most probable cause of the crash was driver-error.

Pte Young challenged that ruling in the Appeal Court on grounds that the trial judge's conclusions went against the weight of the evidence.

But his appeal was rejected yesterday by Lord Justice Kay. The appeal judge - sitting with Lord Justice Waller and Mr Justice Lindsay - said although there were defects in the vehicle, there was also expert evidence indicating that the faults were not significant.