A woman who was run over in a traffic accident in September 2007 was awarded over €22,000 in damages by Madam Justice Abigail Lofaro in the First Hall of the Civil Court.

Simone Zammit filed her action for damages against Doreen Portelli and Tarcisio Azzopardi. Atlas Insurance Limited intervened in the case on behalf of Ms Portelli.

Ms Zammit was run over in Msida on September 26 1997 and suffered a permanent disability as a result of the accident. She requested the court to order either Ms Portelli or Mr Azzopardi to pay her damages.

Ms Portelli, who had been driving the car which ran over Ms Zammit, pleaded that the accident had not been caused by her but was the result of the negligent driving on the part of Mr Azzopardi who was unloading goods from a container, using a forklifter.

An eye witness told the court that as Ms Portelli drove past the warehouses she had driven onto the pavement and had run over Ms Zammit. Ms Zammit had fallen to the ground and the witness told the court that he had seen Ms Portelli drive over her with both the front and back wheels of her car.

As a result of the accident Ms Zammit suffered fractures to her pelvis and leg and had severe friction burns. She was also scarred. The court appointed medical experts found that Mz Zammit had a physical disability of 33 percent and psychological damage of 50 percent.

The Court found that the accident had not been caused by the operation of the forklifter but by Ms Portelli's driving and the fact that she had totally lost control of her car. The court therefore ordered Ms Portelli to pay Ms Zammit €22,035.45 in damages.