Hurt woman fails in handbrake claim

A WOMAN who was trapped after her parked car rolled backwards has failed in a bid to win a pay-out from a motor manufacturer.

Lesley McGlinchey claimed she was the victim of a defective handbrake on her Vauxhall Signum and sued General Motors UK at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Mrs McGlinchey, 49, of Ferniehill Road, was seeking £120,000 compensation, but damages were agreed at £85,000 with liability contested.

The damages bid was rejected yesterday after the judge, Lord Brailsford, ruled she had failed to prove the cause of the accident.

The court heard that Mrs McGlinchey, a warden and tour guide at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, had parked up on August 13, 2007, and put on the handbrake. Her dog was in the rear and she went round intending to let it out, but the car began to roll back.

She tried to brace herself against the car, but was forced back and suffered a broken leg, damage to her knee and a deep cut.