Scalloway mother sues police
A SHETLAND mother is suing Northern Constabulary for £200,000 for damages following a road accident in which she was badly injured.
Rachel Rosie, aged 37, from Scalloway, claims her Peugeot collided with a six wheeled lorry because a police blocked the lorry’s path as it was turning left from the main A970 road into the compound of Peterson Peat Products, just north of Lerwick.
The mother of three young boys suffered head injuries and a broken collar bone in the accident that happened on 15 August 2006. She was unconscious for two weeks.
She has now lodged a claim for damages at Lerwick Sheriff Court to compensate for physical injuries, psychological injuries and ocular problems.
Mrs Rosie drove her car on the three lane road heading down a hill into Lerwick. The middle lane of the A970 was intended to allow overtaking.
She was driving in a queue with a van directly ahead of her and a lorry driving ahead of the van.
As she pulled out into the second lane to overtake the van the lorry reduced speed and turned left onto the premises of the peat products company.
However, the lorry was unable to complete the manoeuvre as a police car was parked on the cattle grid which forms the entrance to the compound.
With the lorry’s tail blocking one of the road’s lanes, the van Mrs Rosie was in the process of overtaking, swerved to the right to avoid smashing into the lorry.
As there was oncoming traffic Mrs Rosie was unable to use the third lane to overtake both the lorry and the van.
To avoid a collision with the van, Mrs Rosie commenced an emergency stop, swerved to the left, and collided with the lorry.
Mrs Rosie’s legal team argues that that the accident was caused by the fault of the police officer who parked the car in such a way that the lorry’s route was blocked.
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They say that the accident could have been avoided if sufficient space had been left for vehicles exiting the road.
Shortly after the accident, overtaking at this stretch of road into Lerwick became strictly forbidden. There is now a solid double line preventing any driver from overtaking.
The case will be heard before Lerwick Sheriff Court in October.
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