A high speed auto accident has left an aspiring model confined to a wheelchair. A judge has ruled that the driver of the other car, a young footballer, is partially at fault.
Rachel Davis, 21, has been unable to walk since the car accident in March 2006. She has filed an accident compensation claim for £3m in Edinburgh Court Session against her boyfriend, John Catto, 20, who was driving a Honda Civic at the time. Ms. Davis was a passenger in the Honda Civic, which was travelling at the high speed of 90 mph when it went off the road, over an embankment and landed upside down in a field.
Stephen Skinner, a former apprentice from Ross County FC, age 22, was also involved in the car accident. Mr. Skinner was driving on Avoch to Munlochy road in Black Isle in a Ford Focus. Mr. Catto lost control of his Honda Civic as he was overtaking Mr. Skinner.
Judge Colin MacAulay, QC, issued an opinion that Mr. Skinner was partly at fault for the accident and should share 20% of the responsibility. His ruling advised that the award for damages should be divided between each of the drivers. The judge noted that Mr. Skinner was trying to manoeuvre at a “grossly excessive speed” that resulted in him getting in front of another car. The judge said that Mr. Skinner should have known that Mr. Catto was overtaking him, and it was Mr. Skinner’s responsibility to slow down to let him pass; he did not do this.
Because of the accident, Ms. Davis suffered a broken pelvis, spinal damage and multiple head and chest injuries. There will be a hearing to evaluate the damages and determine how much compensation she should receive, unless there is an out of court settlement.