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Personal Injury
Our specialist Personal Injury team has handled a number of cases involving a horse whether it be where the horse has been the cause of the accident or where the rider of a horse has sustained injury due to the fault of another party.
Some examples:
Miss C was a young girl was responsible for the stabling and grooming of a thoroughbred horse. The horse had, shortly prior to the accident, been moved to new premises and was known to be misbehaving in its new environment and act erratically. The owners failed to warn the client of this behaviour, failed to assess the risk of the client riding the horse and allowed her to ride it when it was unsafe to do so. The client was riding the horse back to the stables one day when it suddenly launched forward, bucked, and collapsed onto a stubble field. The horse then continued to rear and buck, and tried to gallop off across the field. With some difficulty the Client managed to get the horse under control, but before she was able to dismount, the horse started galloping uncontrollably along a track by the field. In light of its speed, the horse was unable to avoid a wire fence and tried, but failed, to jump it. With the Client still mounted on the horse, it fell through the fence, and both fell onto a metal roller, at which point the Client came off the horse. She suffered a fractured jaw, lost three teeth and chipped three others. She underwent a bone graft. She had implants for the missing teeth. She had problems with her gums which interfered with her ability to speak clearly.
She was awarded £10,000
The parents of Miss H, a young girl, purchased a horse for her. They were not told by the seller that the horse had behavioural problems. One day the Client was riding her horse along a country lane when a bus drove along side her which panicked the horse and the Client was thrown over the horses head.
She suffered a soft tissue injury to the neck and symptoms of concussion which caused headaches, impairment of concentration at school and blurred vision for approximately 8 weeks.
At trial the client was awarded the sum of £4,750 for her pain and suffering and £2,397.52 for her financial losses.
Miss F was riding her horse when they were hit from behind by a car. The horse suffered injury as well as the Client. She suffered soft tissue injuries together with cuts and bruises but managed to get back to work after about 6 weeks
The claim settled for £20,000 which comprised compensation for
- pain and suffering
- care
- osteopathy
- medication
- livery and vet fees
- care provided to the horse
- fencing which the Client had to erect in order to keep the horse from being able to gallop (the injuries to the horse were such that he was never going to be able to be ridden again and was simply kept as a pet following the accident)
- loss of value of the horse. At the time of the accident the clients horse was actually being taken into competition. In the circumstances the loss of value of the horse was claimed and a fairly large sum was awarded.
- a loss of amenity award, because of her inability to carry out her horse riding.
Mrs L was walking down a grassed farm track, leading a pony ridden by her son who was being followed by another pony carrying a young girl. The Defendant, riding a horse, came past the Client and children at a canter and, as her horse drew level with the Client, the horse bucked and kicked the Client in the face. She suffered multiple fractures to the jaw, nerve damage and multiple lacerations to cheeks, lower lip and tongue.
She had surgery but some of the nerve damage was permanent. She also had permanent scarring to her face and the loss of a number of teeth which had to be replaced by dentures. She also suffered a problem with her neck and eventually had surgery to remove a protruding disc.
The Claim was settled for £64,400.00.
A number of horses breached fencing and were running on a dual carriageway late at night. The Client, unable to see the horses, drove into them and sustained physical and psychological injury for which she was compensated.
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