Tragic road accident results in mother’s compensation claim

Posted 10/06/2010

A road accident which claimed the lives of three young people has resulted in a compensation claim being lodged against the driver held responsible.

Elena Putnam, 18, and her sister Rachel, 20, were killed alongside their friend Mark Gardiner, 22, in July 2008 after their vehicle was hit by a van coming in the opposite direction.

Graham Reid, the van’s driver, was given a driving ban after admitting driving carelessly, but the girls’ mother Irene Addison said she intends to claim compensation against him for his “failure to drive with reasonable care”.

“This will always be terribly upsetting and I struggle with it every day,” Ms Addison told the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

She is seeking £250,000 in compensation from Mr Reid’s insurer Axa.

Statistics from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents show that approximately eight people a day lose their lives on Britain’s roads.

Anyone affected by an accident which is not their fault may be able to make a claim for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor.