Injury claim news
06/12/2011

Woman crushed by her own vehicle in car accident

A woman who sustained personal injuries in a car accident has failed to win a compensation claim against the motor manufacturer.

The 49-year-old had just parked her car when it started to roll backwards and trapped her leg, causing her to suffer a broken bone, damage to the knee and a deep cut.

She later launched a £120,000 compensation claim against General Motors UK at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, claiming that a defective handbrake on her Vauxhall Signum had caused the car accident.

The court heard that the woman, who works as a warden and tour guide, had driven her car to her sister's house on August 13 in 2007. She had parked the car and had firmly put the handbrake on before switching off the engine and getting out of the car.

As she walked round to the rear of the vehicle to let her dog out the car began to roll back. She put her hands up to protect herself but was forced backwards, causing her right leg to be pinned between a bollard and the vehicle's bumper.

However, despite the personal injuries sustained in the car accident the compensation claim was rejected after the judge ruled that she had failed to prove the cause of the accident.