£1.8mn in compensation over ambulance crash

The family of a man who died when his car collided with an ambulance has been awarded £1.8mn in compensation. The Court of Appeal upheld the award and ordered the trust pay more than £100,000 in interest. The award was based on the £4mn wealth and earnings potential of the man, a successful builders’ merchant and property developer. The ambulance trust did not dispute liability for the fatal crash but argued the damages payout should be substantially cut. It argued that the trial judge was wrong to find the family so heavily dependent on his earning power. The court of appeal rejected this argument.