A mother whose two daughters were killed in a car crash is seeking compensation for their deaths.
Elena Putnam, 18, and her sister Rachel, 20, were killed in a collision on the B9022 in the North East in July 2008. Rachel’s boyfriend Mark Gardiner, 22, was also killed in the car crash. The car crash occurred when plumber Graham Reid’s van veered onto the wrong side of the road, and collided with Mark Gardiner’s car. Elena Putnam and Mark Gardiner died at the scene, and Rachel Putnam was airlifted to hospital but died later.
Both daughters were studying at Glasgow University, and had a bright future ahead of them.
Graham Reid appeared at Banff Sheriff Court and admitted driving carelessly, causing his van to veer onto the wrong side of the road. He was fined £640 and banned for driving for six months. Mr Reid, who was injured in the crash, told the police, ‘I don’t know if I fell asleep or what.’
Elena and Rachel’s mother Irene Addison said she still struggled every day to cope with what happened to her daughters. She is seeking £250,000 compensation from Axa Insurance, who insured both Graham Reid and the van he was driving at the time of the car crash. The summons lodged at the Court of Session state ‘Reid’s failure to drive with reasonable care caused the accident.’After Graham Reid’s court case, Irene Addison said ‘What Graham Reid did was terrible. He didn’t go out intending to kill people – but he was driving on the wrong side of the road and that was the end result.’
Irene Addison’s solicitor said, ‘This was an accident with horrendous consequences. Three young lives with such great potential have been tragically cut short. Compensation is the only civil remedy the law provides in a case like this.’Thompsons Personal Injury Solicitors have years of experience in assisting the families’ of fatal accident victims. We understand the first and most important thing that a family need and demand is answers! Without answers as to what happened and why it happened they cannot move on with their lives, they need to know that no other family will be affected as they have been by the loss of a loved one.Contact our specialist lawyers today on 0800 0891331 and we will help you obtain the answers to your questions. Our No Win No Fee policy means that we take care of the financial burden of legal action at an already stressful time for clients.
