Australian Woman Awarded $140,000 After Run Over By Her Own Car After Her Own Dog Released The Brake

In torts, we often discuss no fault insurance systems but this story out of Victoria is remarkable. A woman was run over by her own car after her own dog released the handbrake on the car. Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) still awarded her $140,000 worth of compensation for injuries to her hip, shoulders, back, and neck. The resolution of the case took over nine years.

The woman from Colac, south-west of Melbourne, was walking her dogs just before the accident occurred in February 2005.

She put two pets in the back seat and one dog in the front. She had the car running to power the air conditioner and was getting into the driver’s seat when the dog bumped the handbrake. The woman in her sixties was then caught in the door and dragged by the car — eventually going under the tires. She suffered serious injuries.

She was given $143,590 no fault injury compensation in addition to medical expenses and income entitlements.

No fault means no fault.

Source: ABC.Net