A Cornish bricklayer left paralysed in a road crash has been awarded a compensation package worth more than £3.5 million to pay for a lifetime's care and support.

Anthony Nathaniel Bennett was in the back seat of a car when it careered out of control and hit a boulder on the side of the A390, near Liskeard, Cornwall, in October 2003.

The driver was killed, but 28-year-old Mr Bennett, of Springfield Close, Dobwalls, South East Cornwall, survived, despite sustaining catastrophic spinal injuries. He is paralysed from the waist down and will always need a wheelchair.

Though liability for the crash was admitted long ago, the case has been plagued by complex issues relating to insurance, which were finally resolved by Mr Justice Tugendhat at London's High Court on Tuesday.

The ruling means that, on top of a £2.25 million lump sum – which he has already been paid – he will now also receive annual, index-linked and tax-free payments to cover the costs of his care and support for as long as he lives.

The payments will rise gradually – from £21,500-a-year until he is 45, to £60,000-a-year between 45 and 60, and £100,000-a-year thereafter.

The judge said he hoped his decision would bring Mr Bennett "peace of mind".