Car fire leads to €65k award

A WOMAN has been awarded €65,638 in High Court damages arising out of an incident in which her car went on fire days after it had been serviced.

Eileen Reilly, aged 67, Grange Park Rise, Raheny, Dublin, sued DG Motors Ltd, Navan Road, Dublin, the company which serviced her four-year-old Opel Astra Coupe on April 11, 2005.

She claimed DG was negligent because an oil filter housing was left loose, which led to oil coating the front of the exhaust pipe and causing the subsequent fire.

Liability was admitted and the case was before the court for assessment of damages.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Michael Hanna ruled Ms Reilly had suffered post traumatic stress to a moderate degree and a cough she had suffered from had been exacerbated by the incident.

She subsequently had trouble sleeping at night, experienced flashbacks and had not driven a car until very recently and then only with considerable stress and anxiety.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Hanna said she was entitled to fair compensation and he awarded her €40,000 in general damages to date and €20,000 for damages into the future along with €5,638 in special damages.

The judge agreed to a defence application for a stay on his award pending appeal, provided €45,000 was paid out immediately.