Businessman wins fight for crash compensation

An engineering manager has won more than £54,000 damages from a Scottish court after he was hurt in a car crash during a business trip in eastern Europe.

Raymond Wylie suffered a spinal fracture after the car he was being driven in collided with a van in Romania in June 2008.

Mr Wylie, 53, of Bridge of Don, flew back to Aberdeen before seeking medical help and raised an action seeking compensation against Bucharest-based insurers Omniasig at the Court of 
Session in Edinburgh.

Liability in the action was 
admitted with a judge left to decide the amount of damages to be awarded.

Mr Wylie was working for Aberdeen-based Divex, which was seeking to find a new source of high pressure diving cylinders when he undertook the trip to Romania.

He and a colleague went to carry out a technical audit at a firm, Stingo Somet, which was identified as a possible supplier.

The Romanian manager of the factory met them at 
Bucharest and drove them to the 
factory in Buzau, but on the return journey to the airport he collided with the rear of a van.

Mr Wylie had noted that the manager was a quick driver and thought that his speed at the time of the accident would have been about 140 kms (86 miles) an hour.

Mr Wylie told the court that he continues to experience some pain and discomfort in his lower back

Lord Pentland said: “Prior to the accident the pursuer had been particularly keen on home maintenance and improvement and had successfully carried out a great deal of work on his house and garden; this was despite the fact that he lost the lower part of his left leg in an accident in about 1975 and wears a 
prosthesis.”

“Since the accident he has felt that he cannot manage to do any significant DIY work.” Lord Pentland said described evidence given by Mr and Mrs Wylie as “credible and reliable”.

His £54,325 award included £20,000 for pain and suffering.