A 72-year-old disabled and retired book store owner who was involved in seven motor crashes, six of them within seven years and none of which he caused, was awarded a total of €73,243 damages and costs by the High Court yesterday arising from one of the incidents.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney described the sequence of incidents as "almost unbelievable".
He said this was all the more stark because it appeared Gilbert Hayes - who suffers from a chronic condition, ankylosing spondylitis, and is confined to a wheelchair - was blameless in all of them.
The judge said there was no dispute in the case before him, with liability being indicated by the defence whose vehicle ran into the rear of Mr Hayes's car, causing him injury.
The action was taken by Mr Hayes, of Clontarf Park, Dublin, against Alan O'Connor, the driver of the car, and its owner, Kathleen O'Connor, both of Pearse Square, Dublin, arising from a crash on April 22nd, 1996.
Six other incidents occurred in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 in which he received a neck fracture and spent nine months in hospital.
At an earlier court hearing, Mr Hayes said he was the type of driver nobody likes to see on the road as he kept within the speed limit.
In a statement of claim, Mr Hayes said he was driving his car at Clontarf Road on April 22nd, 1996, when Mr O'Connor collided with its rear. This resulted in him suffering severe personal injuries, loss and damage.