Rolls Royce enthusiast in £50k damages court case

A Rolls Royce enthusiast has launched a court battle for damages after a holiday crash left him facing a £50,000 repair bill for his classic car.

The case was heard at Perth Sheriff Court. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Trevor Pickering’s rare Silver Cloud was involved in a pile-up with a lorry and another car while he was on a driving holiday in Scotland.

Now he has lodged a bid for £48,112 compensation from insurance giant Aviva at Perth Sheriff Court after claiming that another driver was responsible for the crash.Mr Pickering, of Loddon, Norfolk, claims the accident put his beloved classic car off the road for a year and deprived him of the pleasure of driving it. In his claim against the Perth-based insurer, he said the accident had happened on the A984 between Dunkeld and Caputh in Perthshire on 15 July 2016.

His writ states: “As he came round the left hand bend the articulated lorry was travelling in the opposite direction.

“The lorry encroached over the centre line of the roadway and collided with the pursuer’s correctly proceeding vehicle. A [third] vehicle, driven by Jamie Carrie, travelling behind Mr Pickering’s car, then struck the rear of it. The accident was caused by the fault and negligence of the insured defender. It was the duty of the insured to take reasonable care for the safety of other road users.

“He had a duty to exercise reasonable care in driving his vehicle, to keep it under control and to avoid his vehicle crossing over the centre line.

“Had he fulfilled the duties incumbent upon him the accident would not have occurred. His vehicle suffered extensive damage and repairs amounted to £46,676.”

He said the £3,724 damage caused by the shunt from behind by Mr Carrie’s vehicle would be taken off the bill.However, he said recovering his vehicle cost £1,416, while a hire car and taxi amounted to £243. He said that due to the vehicle’s pre-accident value and age, and the extent of the damage, it was off the road for 12 months. “He was substantially inconvenienced as a result of the accident and his vehicle being off the road. He estimates the value of the loss of use as £2,500. He was on holiday at the time of the accident and suffered loss of enjoyment as a consequence of the accident, conservatively estimated at £1,000.”

Aviva defending the action claim it was Mr Pickering who was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the first collision. A proof in the case will be heard at a later date.