Court of Appeal nearly halves damages awarded to Kerry driver in personal injuries case

The appeal by a Cork lorry driver attributed a third of the responsibility for the Ring of Kerry collision to the Kerry motorist

Mr Justice Noonan found the damages awarded for pain and suffering and for loss of opportunity were “so disproportionate as to amount to an error of law”. File photo: iStock

The Court of Appeal has almost halved the damages awarded to a driver in a personal injuries action after finding the High Court’s award was so disproportionate it amounted to an error of law.

The court held by a majority of two-to-one, that damages should be reduced from €160,968 to €83,979, on account of reduced liability on the part of the defendant lorry driver and a finding that the award was disproportionate.