Those who drive will tell you that icy conditions are amongst the most treacherous driving situations, as a case we have recently won for a client clearly shows.
Our client was driving along a country road, lined with trees and hedges, on his way to work. Due to the icy conditions and consequential lack of grip compared to usual, he was taking extra care. Some way ahead of him, his eventual opponent, who had attempted to negotiate a sharp bend, lost control and spun her vehicle which ended up positioned across the road and blocking it.
Due to the hedges and trees lining the road, our client was blind to this incident when he successfully rounded the same corner. Suddenly confronted with a blocked road, he did the only thing he could which was to swerve left to avoid impacting with the passenger compartment of the opponent’s vehicle,striking the rear quarter instead.
Our client suffered neck and back injuries, and was off work for a few days. Surprisingly, the defendant’s insurers refused to accept liability for the accident, resulting in the case being heard in front of a judge in the local County Court. The judge awarded our client the sum of approximately £3000.
This case shows that it’s always worth proceeding to a court hearing when insurers take an unreasonable view of a case and that you should always take extra care when driving in icy conditions as you literally never know what’s round the next corner!
If you would like advice about a personal injury claim, please call our team on 0114 218 4000 or email Jonathan at jonathan.stittle@tayloremmet.co.uk
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