We win substantial compensation for fire engine accident victim
A helpful Court of Appeal ruling led to our client, the victim of a fire engine accident, succeeding in a claim for substantial compensation when his car was hit broad-side at a road junction by appliance which was racing to an emergency call.
The traffic lights were in favour of our client and although the fire engine was showing blue lights, it was not using its siren.
Our client suffered very severe head and leg injuries as a result of the fire engine accident. His injuries were so serious that they prevented him from ever working again. He will also need constant medical care and assistance and his life expectancy was reduced because of his injuries.
We agreed to take on his case, working on a No Win No Fee basis. We argued that he was an innocent victim and that he was entitled to full compensation for the accident.
The fire brigade defended the claim on the basis that the incident occurred while the crew were responding to an emergency. They said that by displaying its blue lights they had adequately warned other road users of the danger and that the accident was caused by our client’s lack of attention.
Ultimately a significant compensation settlement was reached out of court by negotiation. This reflected the fact that the fire engine was primarily at fault. As a direct result of this case, the fire service introduced significant changes to its standard procedures for the use of sirens when responding to an emergency.