A widower who lost his wife in a car crash was awarded more than £275,000 yesterday after suing a driver who was jailed after the fatal collision.
Hamish Stanger and other relatives raised an action against Erland Flaws and a second motorist, Stephen Proctor, both from Orkney, following the death of his wife Ann who was returning home with a friend from bingo.
Liability in the case at the Court of Session in Edinburgh was admitted but a civil jury was required to assess the amount of damages to be paid.
Jurors ruled that Mr Stanger, 72, of Pumpwell Park, Stromness, was entitled to total compensation of £275,920.
Two of his sons, Shane and Allan, were awarded £57,500 and £50,000 and three granddaughters were given further awards.
One was awarded £20,000 and the others £15,000 each.
Mrs Stanger, 64, and Moira Towers died following the collision on the A965 Stromness to Kirkwall road in Orkney on February 26 in 2012.
Robert Milligan QC for the family told jurors that Mr Stanger was “a transparently honest man” who had been devastated by the loss of his spouse.
He said: “To him she was perfect. That was his word ‘perfect’.”
“He said himself he does not think he will ever get over the death,” said the counsel.
He said that Mrs Stanger had been a “home maker” and traditional housewife.
“Obviously, no amount of money is ever going to bring her back,” said Mr Milligan.
“The sum you are awarding is not a punishment, penalty or fine. It is just compensation for the loss of a life-long companion.”
Laurence Murphy QC, for the drivers, said there was no dispute that Mrs Stanger was “a loved and loving wife, mother and grandmother” and that her death had led to deep grief.
Following their verdict the judge, Lord Clark, thanked the jury for their attention and said their decision would be of “major importance” to the individuals affected.
Flaws, of King Harald Kloss, Kirkwall was jailed for five years after being found guilty of causing the deaths of the two women by dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2013.
The judge who jailed him, John Beckett QC, now Lord Beckett, told him: “You brought all of this on yourself when you chose to drive at excessive speed at night towards a blind summit and a junction which presented hazards obvious to anyone who knew road, as you did.”
He added that Mrs Stanger had been married for 46 years and died on her anniversary and had been “a central and supportive” figure in the family.