A woman who was hit by a taxi almost a decade ago has been awarded a six-figure sum in compensation through the courts.
Jennifer Blyth, from Kirkcaldy, was eight years old when she was knocked down in Valley Gardens on August 26, 2000, suffering a fractured skull and brain damage that is likely to affect her for the rest of her days.
Now 18, Jennifer has been given a new outlook on life after lawyers representing the driver and his then employers, Kirkcaldy taxi firm Apple Cabs, agreed appropriate compensation this week.
Jennifer, who has an eight-month-old son, Justin, with her partner, has suffered memory, emotional and cognitive difficulties since the accident but admitted the damages awarded should give her a better quality of life.
“There’s been a lot affected in my life because of the accident,” she told The Courier.
“My school work hasn’t been the best that I hoped it would be and my day-to-day life has been affected. I can’t go out without someone being with me and I’ve had memory loss, so it’s been really hard.
“I can’t remember anything about the accident itself but obviously I was only eight and I believe I wasn’t to blame.
“I’m just glad I didn’t have to go to court because it would have been hard to face the guy that knocked me down.”
Glenrothes personal injury lawyers Digby Brown successfully increased the sum sued for in damages from £500,000 to £1.5 million at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court last month, although the actual settlement figure was less than the upper amount.
Jennifer, who went to both Balwearie and St Andrews high schools in Kirkcaldy, said the injuries she suffered have severely affected her ability to have a job, adding she will need paid rehabilitation support to help her cope with life.
“When you are eight you always chop and change what you want to do with your life but I wanted to do nursing, although you have to go to university and what happened has been holding me back,” she added.
“I do want to try doing my standard grades again because my maths and English aren’t great and I want to try and get my grades higher. I also want to try and do beauty therapy at college so hopefully I’ll be able to do that, but the accident has really knocked my confidence.”
Jennifer’s mother, Elizabeth, is just glad that the court process is over and is looking forward to spending more time with her daughter and grandson.
“I just felt we had to go through this for her future and I’m happy that it’s over with,” she said.
Innes Laing, from Digby Brown LLP, stressed that the case was unusual for Fife in that such proceedings are usually raised in the Court of Session.
“The reason we were seeking £1.5 million initially is that Jennifer suffered very serious injuries that will affect her for the rest of her life,” he said.
“While the final figure agreed was less than that, it’s basically about getting enough money so Jennifer can live as independently as possible.”
A spokesman for Glasgow firm Anderson Solicitors, which represented the driver involved and his then employer, said they did not wish to comment on the outcome of the case.