I was pleased to read this week that William Prentice, the have-a-go-hero who tried to stop a runaway taxi, recovered £9,000 in compensation. Mr Prentice was lauded by the Sheriff for acting in a public spirited manner. He was waiting in a vehicle to collect his parents-in-law from the theatre when he noticed a taxi rolling down a slope with nobody at the wheel. Unfortunately, the negligent driver had left the taxi parked without the handbrake on. Mr Prentice, was concerned that the taxi would collide with pedestrians who had gathered outside the theatre and ran into the centre of the road and threw himself into the path of the taxi. As he tried to slow it down, he injured himself. However, he successfully managed to bring the vehicle to a halt.
The insurance company for the negligent driver accepted that he had been negligent but argued that Mr Prentice's actions were not those of a reasonable man in claiming that the risk he took to prevent the taxi injuring people was disproportionate in the circumstances. Thankfully, the Sheriff kicked the insurers' argument into touch and praised Mr Prentice for acting in an admiral way.
If I was Mr Prentice I would have turned up at Court every day with a Superman cape on.
