Derry / Londonderry: Nurse knocked down outside Altnagelvin Hospital awarded more than £80,000 in damages

Mr Justice O’Hara awarded her the payout to cover injuries and trauma suffered after she was struck in the middle of a pedestrian crossing.

He said: “There are inevitable adverse mental consequences to being run over, especially if one is carried on the bonnet of a car and then thrown to the ground.”

The 31-year-old nurse at the centre of the action is not being named.

She sued following the collision with a motorist within the hospital’s grounds in February 2022. The car failed to stop in time and struck her as she used the pedestrian crossing.

With liability accepted, proceedings related only to assessing the level of damages.

The mother-of-two, who worked as an orthopaedic nurse at Altnagelvin, suffered injuries to her lower back and ankle, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

She experienced nightmares and flashbacks to the accident, the court was told, along with feelings of high anxiety as she crossed roads and hypervigilance when driving.

Further feelings of guilt related to the pressures on her family from having to stay off work for months after the collision.

There was no suggestion that the plaintiff’s complaints were either exaggerated or untrue.

Mr Justice O’Hara heard how she found it painful to stand for long periods and lift patients during a phased return to her job. Eventually she sought alternative employment and moved to a district nursing role.

Despite some improvements, the plaintiff stated that three years later she still has issues with heavier tasks, walking up hills, pushing shopping trolleys and carrying out domestic chores.

Making a total award of just over £81,000 in damages, the judge held that she had not exaggerated or falsified her account in any way.

Mr Justice O’Hara concluded: “The fact that she has seen her doctor about other matters and has not complained about her back indicates that while it troubles her, she largely gets on with her life, within somewhat reduced parameters, as best she can.”