High Court, in a case involving a collision between two emergency service vehicles, finds that the driver of a fire tender negligent for moving into the right-hand carriageway without proper indication, causing a collision with a Garda car. The Garda car was attempting to overtake the fire tender, which was traveling below the speed limit, to respond to an emergency. The court ruled that the fire tender driver's failure to observe the Garda vehicle in the overtaking lane constituted negligence. The plaintiff Garda officer was awarded damages for injuries sustained, including PTSD and soft tissue damage, with no contributory negligence found. The court awarded general damages for pain and suffering to date and into the future, as well as special damages for loss of earnings and other expenses.
Emergency service vehicles, collision, negligence, overtaking maneuver, Garda car, fire tender, right-hand carriageway, indicator, soft tissue injuries, PTSD, damages, loss of earnings, special damages, general damages, contributory negligence, Road Safety Authority, Emergency Services Driving Standard (ESDS), negligence finding, liability, quantum.