91,000 Euros Compensation for Crash Injury and Post Traumatic Stress

A man who was trapped in the wreck of his car after a violent motorway collision has been awarded 91,000 Euros for the pain and suffering and post traumatic stress he suffered.
Mr James Killeen (55) of Artane, County Dublin, was sat in stationary traffic on the approach to the M50 near Dublin, when his jeep was struck from behind at speed by a car driven by Mr Hongbo Guo of Castleknock, County Dublin, in November 2007.
Mr Justice John Quirke at the High Court heard how Mr Killeen and his son, Jack, were trapped in the damaged jeep for 90 minutes while firemen attempted to cut them free. During this time, the court heard, Mr Killeen became hysterical due to the presence of petrol fumes and his fear for his son´s safety.
Once cut free from the vehicle, Mr Killeen was transported to hospital in an ambulance which had to stop on four occasions to allow Mr Killeen to vomit – such was his distress at the incident. On admission to Blanchardstown Hospital, Mr Killeen was found to have sustained a soft tissue injury in his lower back, which left him with daily pain, discomfort and lack of movement
Mr Killeen´s physical condition was complicated by the fact that he had been involved in seven previous road traffic accidents between 1986 and 2009, in the course of which he had suffered multiple injuries including a fractured hip. The psychological trauma of the accident in 2007had resulted in an emergency admission to St Ita´s Hospital in 2008 as the result of attempted self harm.
The court heard from a consultant psychiatrist that Mr Killeen had suffered from severe depression and anxiety arising from the accident and had needed intensive psychiatric treatment to overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the aftermath of the road traffic accident.
Mr Justice John Quirke stated that Mr Guo had accepted liability for Mr Killeen´s injuries and that the case was before him for assessment of damages only. In making the award of 91,000 Euros, the judge commented that the whole incident had been horrific for Mr Killeen, and had resulted in significant consequences for him.