€18k for accident-prone loss assessor

An accident-prone loss assessor crashed her vehicle into the car of a man whose house was on fire at the time.

Linda Lydon’s crash at the scene of a Dublin house fire in December 2008 was one of a litany of car accidents she was involved in, resulting in her employer, Cleary’s Insurance Services, finally losing patience with Ms Lydon and sacking her in December 2010.

However, the Employment Appeals Tribunal has found that Ms Lydon’s accidents didn’t amount to gross misconduct and that she was unfairly dismissed, awarding her a total of €17,908.