€25,000 for bus passenger injured when driver braked
A PASSENGER was injured after a man ran onto a road in front of a bus to attack a group of Asian people, the Circuit Civil Court has heard.
Judge Terence O’Sullivan heard the man had thrown a bottle at the group and then “turned on a sixpence in a millisecond” giving a Dublin Bus driver no chance to avoid hitting him despite having slammed on his brakes.
Susan Lennox BL told the court Rachel Hardiman (28) was a passenger on the bus and had been thrown forward, injuring her face, neck, shoulders and arm in the incident on September 23, 2012.
Solicitor Gerard O’Herlihy, for Dublin Bus, said the man who ran in front of the bus, James Richardson, of Williams Place, Clanbrassil Street, Dublin, had been joined to the proceedings as a third party but had not appeared in court despite having been ser ved with the proceedings.
Judge O’Sullivan, awarding Ms Hardiman €25,000 damages and costs against Dublin Bus, said although the driver had lif ted his foot off the accelerator after seeing the man on the road, the court did not consider this to have been enough. He also granted Dublin Bus an order for €25,000 and costs against Mr Richardson.