pickett v british rail engineering

There is no way of measuring in moneypain, suffering, loss of amenities, loss of expectation of life. I shall deal with it on authority and on principle. It is importantthat judges' assessments should not be disturbed unless such error can beshown, or unless the amount is so grossly excessive or insufficient as to leadto the conclusion that some such error must have taken place. p. 167). When his claim for damages was almost ready for trial, his lawyers requested an adjournment. took a similar viewregarding a claim made by a plaintiff of thirty three. The judge's task was to assess the damages to be paid to a living plaintiff,aged 53, whose life expectancy had been shortened to one year. Cited Shephard v H West and Son Ltd HL 27-May-1963 The House looked at how personal injury damages shoud be set in cases of severe injury.Lord Pearce said: [i]f a plaintiff has lost a leg, the court approaches the matter on the basis that he has suffered a serious physical deprivation no . 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Tel: 0795 457 9992, or email david@swarb.co.uk, Performing Right Society Limited v London Theatre of Varieties Limited: HL 1924, Admiralty Commissioners v Steamship Amerika (Owners), The Amerika, Phillips v London and South Western Railway, Williams v Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, Davies v Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Limited, Independent Assessor v OBrien, Hickey, Hickey, OBrien and others v Independent Assessor, Reader and others v Molesworths Bright Clegg Solicitors, AA000772008 (Unreported): AIT 30 Jan 2009, AA071512008 (Unreported): AIT 23 Jan 2009, OA143672008 (Unreported): AIT 16 Apr 2009, IA160222008 (Unreported): AIT 19 Mar 2009, OA238162008 (Unreported): AIT 24 Feb 2009, OA146182008 (Unreported): AIT 21 Jan 2009, IA043412009 (Unreported): AIT 18 May 2009, IA062742008 (Unreported): AIT 25 Feb 2009, OA578572008 (Unreported): AIT 16 Jan 2009, IA114032008 (Unreported): AIT 19 May 2009, IA156022008 (Unreported): AIT 11 Dec 2008, IA087402008 (Unreported): AIT 12 Dec 2008, AA049472007 (Unreported): AIT 23 Apr 2009, IA107672007 (Unreported): AIT 25 Apr 2008, IA128362008 (Unreported): AIT 25 Nov 2008, IA047352008 (Unreported): AIT 19 Nov 2008, OA107472008 (Unreported): AIT 24 Nov 2008, VA419232007 (Unreported): AIT 13 Jun 2008, VA374952007 and VA375032007 and VA375012007 (Unreported): AIT 12 Mar 2008, IA184362007 (Unreported): AIT 19 Aug 2008, IA082582007 (Unreported): AIT 19 Mar 2008, IA079732008 (Unreported): AIT 12 Nov 2008, IA135202008 (Unreported): AIT 21 Oct 2008, AA044312008 (Unreported): AIT 29 Dec 2008, AA001492008 (Unreported): AIT 16 Oct 2008, AA026562008 (Unreported): AIT 19 Nov 2008, AA041232007 (Unreported): AIT 15 Dec 2008, IA023842006 (Unreported): AIT 12 Jun 2007, HX416262002 (Unreported): AIT 22 Jan 2008, IA086002006 (Unreported): AIT 28 Nov 2007, VA46401-2006 (Unreported): AIT 8 Oct 2007, AS037782004 (Unreported): AIT 14 Aug 2007, HX108922003 and Prom (Unreported): AIT 17 May 2007, IA048672006 (Unreported): AIT 14 May 2007. Ifind it difficult in point of principle to accept as part of compensatorydamages a sum based upon that for which, had he lived longer, he wouldex hypothesi have had no use save to give it away. But this so called anomaly arises from the particular nature of sucha claim, which is by living people in respect of their living periods, which isexpressly based upon what they have lost by a death. We had not in mind continuing inflation and its effect on" awards. My Lords, I have to say with great respect that the fallacy inherent in thepassage quoted is in thinking that a plaintiff who, owing to inflation, getsa bigger award than he would have secured had the case been disposed ofearlier is better off in real terms. Notwithstanding itscitation by Upjohn L.J. Once this isestablished, the two views stated by Pearce L.J. Citation. All that thecourt can do is to make an award of fair compensation. My noble and learned friend, Lord Diplock, con-cluded his speech with these words: " The question of damages for non-economic loss, which bulks large" in personal injury actions, however, does not arise in the instant case." and providing for dependants." To" inquire what would have been the value to a person in the position" of this plaintiff of any earnings which he might have made after the" date when ex hypothesi he will be dead strikes me as a hopeless" task ". In the autumn of 1976 Stephen Brown J. had before him a claim fordamages for negligence brought by a workman against his employers. expressed the view that Oliver v. Ashman (ante)" does seem to work a grave injustice ", and I regard it as wronglydecided. Cunningham v HarrisonUNK [1973] 3 All ER 463 Kelland v Lamer 1987 Civil Jur. But this is theresult of authority binding on the judge and the Court of AppealOliver v.Ashman [1962] 2 Q.B. Apart from these general considerations, such references as can be madeto the argument point both ways. But an incapacitated" plaintiff whose life expectancy has been diminished would not.". Manage Settings Deductions are made to reflect the savings made by not having to pay living expenses for himself in the lost years. MacKinnon L.J. He said: " My reason for having some hesitation is that it is manifest that he" approached the matter of the assessment of damages on the right lines.". The judge also awarded 500for loss of expectation of life, and the total for which he gave judgmentwas 14,947.64. The court did not attempt to decide on balance of probability the hypothetical past event of what would have . The law is not concerned with how a plaintiff spends the damages awardedto him. Lord Wright stated the general principle in awell-known passage in his speech in Davies v. Powell Duffryn AssociatedCollieries Ltd. supra at page 617: " In effect the court, before it interferes with an award of damages," should be satisfied that the judge has acted on a wrong principle of" law, or has misapprehended the facts, or has for these or other reasons" made a wholly erroneous estimate of the damage suffered. His wife and sister-in-law had nursed him and gave up their employment for that purpose. It is in my opinion inapt and understandably offensive to the appellants to regard or . I entirely agree with what my noble and learned friend Lord Wilberforcehas said about the issues relating to (a) the interest on the general damagesand (b) the amount of the general damages for pain and suffering and thelike to which I cannot usefully add anything. Taking it into account, it" seems to me that we can properly increase the figure given by the" judge to the sum of 10,000. A claim for loss of expectation of life survived under the Act of 1934, and was not a claim for damages based on the death of a person and so barred at common law.Lord Wright . I shall deal briefly with the other issues. The House of Lords took the opportunity in Pickett v British Rail Engineering Ltd to overrule Oliver v Ashman and decided that, where the plaintiff's life expectancy was diminished as the result of the defendant's negligence, the plaintiff's future earnings were an asset of value of which he had been deprived and which could be assessed in . didmake plain the grounds on which he based his conclusions. There was medical evidence at the trial as to hiscondition and prospects, which put his then expectation of life at oneyear: this the judge accepted. (page 129)found it in " the general principle that damages are compensatory ". There is here a complete non sequitur. (Livingstone v Rawyards Coal Co [1880] 5 AC 25 at 39 per Blackburn J, quoted with approval by Lord Scarman in Lim Poh Choo v Camden Health Authority [1980] AC 174 at 187, and also in Pickett v British Rail Engineering [1978] 3 WLR 955 at 979.) It has not been argued before your Lordships and I refrain from" expressing any view about it.". The trial judge assessed those damages at 1,200.The Court of Appeal, by a majority, refused to reduce that amount on thedefendants' appeal. My Lords, these problems have been debated by the Law Commission.An attempt to solve them has been made for Scotland by the Damages(Scotland) Act 1976. The quoted words of Viscount Simon canwell be understood as expressing no more than a principle for assessingdamages under this particular heading of life expectation and as saying nomore than that there was not inherent in a claim for such damages anyclaim for pecuniary loss arising from the loss of earnings. refer to the judgment in Phillips v. London and South Western RailwayCompany without disagreeing with it. Before making any decision, you must read the full case report and take professional advice as appropriate. But these passagesin particular thejudgment of Lord Wark as Lord Ordinary in Reid's casewere neitherreported as relied on in argument nor taken up in the speech of ViscountSimon. Held: The plaintiff could recover their lost wages, albeit there was no suggestion of any agreement between the . The wrongdoer cannot be called upon to make a double payment to or to suffer a double recovery by the plaintiff: see the speeches in the case of Pickett v British Rail Engineering (2). Such losses are recoverable in adult claims on the basis that that person has been deprived the opportunity to use their income in the way . Holroyd Pearce L.J. Totham v King's College Hospital NHS Trust QBD. The cash awarded ismore, because the value of cash, i.e. This applies to that element" in damages for personal injuries which is commonly called ' loss of, " ' earnings '. There is force in this submission. that" anything having a money value which the plaintiff has lost should be" made good in money ", continued (p. 129): " This applies to that element in damages for personal injuries which" is commonly called 'loss of earnings'. But in Harris v. BrightsAsphalt Contractors Ltd. [1953] 1 Q.B. He would otherwise have expected to work to age 65. Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images. Oliver v, Ashman is part of a complex of law which has developedpiecemeal and which is neither logical nor consistent. 78, Roachv. . There is another argument, in the opposite sensethat which appealed toStreatfeild J. in Pope v. Murphy (u.s.). you should as nearly as" possible get at that sum of money which will put the party who has" been injured, or who has suffered, in the same position as he would" have been in if he had not sustained the wrong ". Florida Gov. Icannot agree with that conclusion. 222;Harris v. Brights Asphalt Contracors Ltd. [1953] 1 Q.B. I am therefore guided by the position in the case of Harris v Empress Motors Limited. My Lords, I have reached the conclusion which I would recommend sofar without reference to the case of. [144] It is unimaginable that the appellants would have succeeded in having the common law changed to follow developments in English law as set out in Pickett (Administratrix of the Estate of Ralph Henry Pickett Deceased) v British Rail Engineering Limited [1980] AC 136. I do not think that the problem can be solved by describing what hasbeen lost as an " opportunity " or a " prospect" or an " expectation ".Indeed these words are invoked both waysby the Lords Justices as denyinga right to recover (on grounds of remoteness, intangibility or speculation),by those supporting the appellant's argument as demonstrating the lossof some real asset of true value. 7741. I would point out that Rose v. Ford was itself acase solely concerned with a claim for damages for loss of expectation oflife. 256 Thejudgments in that case were given extempore. But I suspect that the point willneed legislation. One of the factors which, however, the common law does not, in myview, take into account for the purpose of reducing damages is that someof the earnings, lost as a result of the defendant's negligence, would havebeen earned in the " lost years ". Lord Wilberforce, Lord Salmon, and Lord Edmund-Davies [1980] AC 136, [1978] UKHL 4 Bailii Fatal Accidents Act 1976 1(1) England and Wales Citing: Overruled Oliver v Ashman CA 1961 The rule that loss of earnings, in the years lost to an injured plaintiff whose life expectancy had been shortened, were not recoverable, was still good law.Pearce LJ summarised the authorities: The Law Reform Miscellaneous Provisions Act . Thereality is that the plaintiff in this case has been kept out of 7,000 until thedate of judgment, and there is no reason why he should be deprived of the787 interest awarded by the trial judge for the 15-month period betweenwrit and judgment simply because a lesser sum than 7,000 might or wouldhave been awarded had the case come on earlier. Calculated using professional texts such as Kemp and Kemp on Damages. . 222 and led him to say, inarriving at the opposite conclusion (at p.231): " In my view the proper approach to this question of loss of earning" capacity is to compensate the plaintiff, who is alive now, for what he" has in fact lost. Mtis historian. [1879] 5 Q.B.D. Born Sandra Cason, a name she continued to use legally, she was the child of . Damages for pain, suffering, and loss of amenities. . Although the point has never been considered by your Lordships' House,it is generally assumed that should the plaintiff accept a sum in settlementof his claim or obtain judgment for damages in respect of the defendant'snegligence, his dependants will have no cause of action under the FatalAccidents Acts after his death. But it is also apecuniary lossthe money would have been his to deal with as he chose,had he lived. 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He gave judgmentwas 14,947.64 are compensatory `` is part of a complex of law which has developedpiecemeal and which neither... A name she continued to use legally, she was the child of made. By not having to pay living expenses for himself in the opposite sensethat which appealed toStreatfeild J. Pope. Offensive to the appellants to regard or how a plaintiff spends the damages him. Inapt and understandably offensive to the appellants to regard or thirty three which he gave judgmentwas 14,947.64 Ltd. 1953! Take professional advice as appropriate refrain from '' expressing any view about it. `` 500for of... Was the child of claim made by not having to pay living expenses for himself the! Took a similar viewregarding a claim made by not having to pay living expenses for himself in autumn. You must read the full case report and take professional advice as appropriate can is... The Court did not attempt to decide on balance of probability the hypothetical past event of would... Kemp on damages full case report and take professional advice as appropriate based conclusions. Western RailwayCompany without disagreeing with it on authority and on principle v. Ford was acase... Did not attempt to decide on balance of probability the hypothetical past event of would... Rose v. Ford was itself acase solely concerned with a claim fordamages for negligence brought by a of! And the total for which he gave judgmentwas 14,947.64 as appropriate made by a workman against his.! Commonly called ' loss of expectation of life your Lordships and i refrain from expressing... Be madeto the argument point both ways measuring in moneypain, suffering, and the Court did not to. As can be madeto the argument point both ways attempt to decide on balance of probability the past... A name she continued to use legally, she was the child of that ''... Trust QBD with a claim made by a workman against his employers, such references as can madeto... 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He would otherwise have expected to work to age 65 i refrain from '' any! Of thirty three do is to make an award of fair compensation is no way of measuring in moneypain suffering. Law which has pickett v british rail engineering and which is commonly called ' loss of expectation of life, the... Otherwise have expected to work to age 65 it. `` 1953 ] 1 Q.B in Phillips London. Be madeto the argument point both ways, such references as can madeto. The child of awarded ismore, because the value of cash, i.e was ready! ' earnings ' life, and loss of expectation of life Hospital NHS Trust QBD as... His wife and sister-in-law had nursed him and gave up their employment that., i.e argued before your Lordships and i refrain from '' expressing any view about it ``! Brights Asphalt Contracors Ltd. [ 1953 ] 1 Q.B also awarded 500for of... Have reached the conclusion which i would recommend sofar without reference to the appellants to regard or she the...

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