Driver loses crash case

(First Edition)

AUSTIN ROVER was not to blame for a crash in which a young bride suffered catastrophic brain damage, a High Court judge ruled yesterday.

Mandy Lock, 21, lost control of her Metro when it skidded and collided head-on with another car on the A323 between Fleet and Aldershot, Hampshire, in November 1985.

Married for just four months, she was left severely disabled and in need of institutional care for the rest of her life. Mrs Lock sued Austin Rover for damages, blaming the accident on a petrol cap design fault that could have let fuel leak on to the wheels.

But Mr Justice Mantell said driver error and the condition of the road surface were the most likely causes.

Austin Rover, which denied liability, was awarded costs. Mrs Lock, of Winscombe Nursing Home, Boarhunt, Hampshire, was not in court for the judgment.