Spooking' car accidents

For most of us, the sight of a horse on the road of a town or city provokes a feeling of romantic nostalgia for a bygone era. It reminds us of a time when things were simpler and more innocent, before technology and the motorcar changed the pace and fabric of our lives. What is not more commonly considered is the potential danger for horses and horse drawn vehicles to cause car accidents.

Horses are powerful animals. For many thousands of years they literally carried man on the road to modern civilisation. They are richly present in classical, pastoral, and battlefield literature, so it is inevitable that humankind has a strong attachment to the horse, making it hard for us to completely let go. But there is a rich body of evidence to suggest that horses and modern day motorised vehicles are incompatible on our roads and together represent a very real car accident danger.

Spooking' and car accidents
According to statistics in the US, 85% of all car crashes involving horses occur as a result of spooking'. Spooking' refers to an incident where a horse is alarmed by some sudden change in the external environment such as a car horn, a pedestrian dashing across the road, or a loud noise from a construction site.

When spooked' the horse will panic and behave unpredictably, often leading it to lash out or bolt. There have been numerous cases in recent years of horses spooking' which have led to car accidents. A number of these cases have resulted in fatal accidents, while many more have caused serious personal injuries.
The same US study reports that in cases where a horse has spooked' in an urban or town environment, 70% of the time it has led to a person suffering serious personal injury, while 22% of the time it has resulted in a fatal car accident.

Both London and Paris have recently banned the use of horse-drawn vehicles because of the risk of car crashes. Another major factor behind these bans has been a regulatory fear of compensation claims. As car accidents involving horses result in such a high proportion of serious personal injuries and deaths, the use of horses in cities opens up both the councils and the companies using the horses to potentially costly personal injury compensation claims.

Since the abolition of legal aid for personal injury cases, the majority of these compensations claims have been settled by no win, no fee solicitors.

Pertinent car accident case studies
In 2003 a British horse rider made a no win, no fee claim against a motorcyclist who collided with his horse while travelling well above the speed limit in a Scottish country lane. The horse rider suffered broken bones and a neck injury. His horse later had to be put down.

The man later received a compensation claim payout amounting to around £10,000 for his personal injuries, and a further £4,000 for the loss of his thoroughbred. The motorcyclist also suffered a number of personal injuries.

In 2002, a US man received an undisclosed compensation claim payout after suffering a disabling spinal injury when his car collided with a horse, causing the animal to crash through the front windscreen. The rider, amazingly, was completely unhurt.

A man from the north west of England employed the services of no win, no fee solicitors in 2004 after sustaining personal injuries in a car accident with a horse. He was a passenger in a car travelling through the outskirts of town when the horse spooked', colliding with the car and causing it to swerve into a tree. His no win, no fee claim was reported to be resolved in an compensation payment amounting to some £6,000.

Preventing a car accident involving a horse
It is not only in town and urban environments that horses present a car accident danger. Any driver familiar with narrow winding country roads will be accustomed to the sight of a single rider, or group of riders unexpectedly coming into view from round a blind bend.

A spokesperson from one of the UK's leading riding schools offers the following advice, "Drivers need to remember that when passing horses they need to go slow and go wide. Motorists need to realise that, if a bird suddenly flies out of a hedge, this could startle a horse and cause it to leap into the road."

It is also vital that, if you want to ensure your chance of making a successful, no win, no fee car accident compensation claim, you should avoid doing anything that would obviously startle a horse. The following is meant as a brief guide, not an exhaustive list:

• Don't hoot the horn. With a horse this is more likely to cause a car accident than prevent one.
• When driving in an area where you are likely to encounter riders, don't play loud music in your car, as this could startle the horse and cause a car accident.
• Drive slowly and give the horse a wide berth.

Making a no win, no fee claim

If you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, you may have a case for a valid compensation claim.

YouClaim possesses a wealth of experience and expertise in making no win, no fee claims. In fact, in our relationship with some of the UK's leading car accident compensation solicitors, YouClaim helps oversee an excellent success rate for its clients.

We understand that in the event of personal injury, compensation can be an invaluable aid in getting life back to normal through rest and rehabilitation.

We are available to advise you on your claim 24hrs a day. We understand that different schedules and personalities demand a different approach, so we can talk with you in several ways.

Why not chat online with one of our advisors or ask for a call back at a time that suits you. Alternatively you can fill out an online claim assessment form or call us on our freephone number, 0800 10 757 95, to get your no win, no fee car accident claim in motion today.