Negligence - Map Maker not liable for Rally Driver Crash
Three Judges at the Court of Session have rejected an appeal by Raymond Munro, former Scottish rally champion, who sued a map-maker for negligence.
In 2004, Mr Munro crashed whilst participating in the Speyside Stages Rally. He alleged that, following the accident, he suffered post traumatic stress disorder and never raced again. He raised an action against William Sturrock, t/a Scotmaps, who produced route notes and a DVD which was used by drivers, including Mr Munro, to aid them to navigate the race course.
Mr Munro alleged that the map was negligently prepared, in that it incorrectly described the angle of a bend. He claimed he, had it been labelled appropriately, he would have driven more slowly, thus reducing the risk of a crash. Following the original trial, a single Judge held that there had been ‘no error’ by Mr Sturrock in his description of the bend and thus Mr Munro’s case failed.
He appealed against this decision, but the reclaiming motion was refused on the basis that the Judge was correct in stating that there had been ‘no error’ with the map. On 3 April the appeal judges held that Mr Munro’s criticism of the map company was ‘misplaced’.
If you would like more information on this matter please contact Lewis McDonald.
