We have just settled a claim on behalf of JS who suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a road traffic accident involving two vehicles, a people carrier driven by him and a skip lorry.
The accident caused three fatalities and accordingly a full collision investigation was undertaken by the police and an inquest held. The skip lorry driver was prosecuted for driving in excess of the legal speed limit at various points along the road leading up to the accident site.
JS instigated a claim against the lorry driver on the basis that he allowed his HGV vehicle to veer onto the other side of the road. JS’s evidence is that he took emergency evasive action to avoid the HGV but a head-on collision ensued. He and his passengers sustained very severe injuries. JS has been left with a significant degree of paralysis as a result of his spinal cord injury.
The defendant disputed the claim and alleged that in fact JS had moved out of his lane and into the path of the lorry. The case progressed until a few weeks before trial when a substantial settlement was agreed at a settlement meeting.
