Hero who tackled taxi in legal win

William Prentice, 50, sustained neck and shoulder injuries in the drama, which saw him dash in front of an unmanned taxi that was freewheeling towards crowds leaving the Kings Theatre on February 28, 2009.

The vehicle, which was travelling at around 5mph, was slowed by Mr Prentice's heroic actions before coming to a stop when it struck his own car.

Despite selflessly putting himself in harms way, Aviva Insurance refused to pay out compensation for his injuries.

But after a six-month court fight, Mr Prentice, from Dalkeith, was awarded 8,750 by Sheriff Mhairi Stephen at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, who held he had acted in a "public-spirited manner".

The father-of-three had been parked in Leven Street at around 9.30pm as he waited to collect his parents-in-law from the theatre when he noticed a taxi rolling slowly down a hill with no-one at the wheel. The driver, a Mr Rintoul, had parked the car on a slope and failed to pull on the handbrake.

Fearing it would plough into pedestrians gathering outside the Leven Street theatre, Mr Prentice ran into the centre of the road, threw himself in the path of the taxi and tried to slow it down. He then moved to the side of the vehicle, pushing against the nearside wing, and brought it to a halt when it crashed his own car, causing minor damage to the indicator. Because of his actions, Mr Prentice sustained injuries to his neck and shoulder.

In court, Mr Prentice said: "I did not give injury a second thought," he said.

Aviva Insurance accepted the taxi driver had failed to apply the handbrake but argued Mr Prentice's actions were not those of a reasonable man and that the risk he took was disproportionate to the danger which the slow-moving taxi presented.

However, Sheriff Stephen ruled in favour of Mr Prentice - who had to take three months off work as a bus engineer with First Bus - saying he made his decision by instinct.

"He did not give injury to himself a second thought". The Sheriff added: "I thought he acted and behaved in a public-spirited manner".

Speaking after his legal victory, Mr Prentice said his decision to pursue compensation through the courts was motivated by principle not reward.

"I'm delighted by the result but this was never about the money, it was about winning the case," he said.

"I knew on the day I went to court that the sheriff was reasonable.

"The argument from Aviva was that I had caused my own injury, but I didn't see it that way. My thoughts were 'where is this car going and what can I do about it?'.

"I instinctively got out of my car and ran to stop it by physically getting in front of it and pushing with my shoulder.

"If my car hadn't been there it would have ended up on the pavement."