A Dubliner who said a large part of his life revolved around triathlon and cycling has been awarded €60,000 after injuries sustained in a car crash.
The judge in the case criticised what he said was a “full front assault” on the man's evidence during the court action.
Mr Justice Bernard Barton said the evidence of Trevor
Murphy was truthful and that he had clearly been able to answer any questions
about his sporting activity before and after his crash.
And the judge was critical of efforts that were made by the defence to question the honesty of Mr Murphy and to suggest his injuries were not as bad as he described.
Mr Justice Barton noted a plea at the start of the case suggesting the impact of the crash was minimal and incapable of causing injury, had been withdrawn.
Advertisement
Related News
However, he said photographs of the crash scene – which involved two vehicles – clearly showed significant damage.
Mr Murphy (46), from Pineview Drive, Tallaght, was in his car and stopped in a line of traffic near Tallaght Stadium on October 6th, 2013, when hit from behind by another driver.
He suffered soft tissue injuries to his back, which had
cleared up within six months but which left him suffering longer-term issues,
such as pain and headaches.
While he was able to complete a half Ironman and run the
marathon after the crash, he said he had great difficulty in the Ironman, and
that he had been encouraged to rehabilitate with sport after the crash.
The judge noted that Mr Murphy’s determination to pursue his training regime had prolonged the problems related to his injuries after the crash, according to medical notes.
But he added Mr Murphy was not to blame for this as he
had been advised to rehabilitate as best he could. He awarded €50,000 for pain
and suffering and €10,613 for physical therapy treatment.
Topics
