Fatal car accidents lead to claims
The widow of a man who was involved in a fatal accident has been awarded with more than £200,000 in compensation after making an accident claim.
The woman made a no win no fee claim after her husband was killed in a road accident in January 2008.
The man was driving an articulated lorry on the M18 motorway, on his way to making a scheduled delivery to Scunthorpe.
The driver of the other vehicle was travelling in a Ford Ranger car and began to overtake the lorry and claimed that a 'phantom' driver caused him to swerve his vehicle, steering directly into the lorry driver.
The Ford Ranger struck the lorry in the fuel tank causing it to leave the motorway, travel down the nearside embankment and collide with motorway signage. The lorry driver was killed instantly.
Michael Durban, who represented the lorry-driver's widow, said that although the defendants admitted liability they had contested certain elements of the case, not least when they argued that the widow's husband was close to retirement age and so any loss of earnings would be minimal.
Model employee
Mr Durban said: "I obtained a statement from the man's employer, which confirmed he was a model employee, and in all likelihood would have been retained by the firm beyond the age of 65 and would have worked for them until the age of 67."
"They also questioned the health of my client's husband, but having represented the family at the inquest I was able to point out that the Coroner stated there were no unusual health problems beyond what would be expected of someone of his age."
In September, Mr Durban successfully negotiated a settlement of £205,000 on behalf of the lorry driver's widow.
In a similar case, a young boy was awarded with £100,000 in compensation following a tragic and fatal car accident which involved his father.
The father of the boy was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by another man. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which was travelling at high speed and collided with another vehicle.
A Dangerous manoeuvre
He had been travelling at a speed significantly in excess of the legal limit, and he had carried out a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre in the moments before the collision. The high speed and impact led to the deaths of both men.
The boy's father, a hard-working young man, left behind his son and the claim related to the loss of financial support and care which the boy has suffered. The man's employer at the time of this tragedy spoke highly of his ability and keenness to work hard and progress in his chosen trade.
The young boy subsequently went to live with his grandmother, who has provided and will continue to provide all of the support for him.
A legal firm which acted on behalf of the boy, provided a lawyer, Martin James, who negotiated a settlement of £100,000, which was approved on 4 August 2009.
The amount of damages awarded took into account the love and affection the boy would have received from his father, together with moral and educational guidance.
A County Court ordered that a percentage of the damages be paid to the young boy's grandmother at this stage to assist with his upbringing.
Updated on 24/09/2009