Woman Awarded $123,000 Nearly 10 Years After Being Run Over By Her Dog

In a bizarre story out of Colac, a small city in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, a woman in her 60s who sustained horrific injuries when she was run over by her dog has been awarded $143,590 ($123,000 U.S.) in compensation for the injuries she suffered.

The woman, who, according to the Daily Mail Australia, wished to remain anonymous, was walking back to her car after having taken her three pooches for a walk back in February 2005. Due to the fact it was a hot day, she reportedly left the air conditioning on for herself and her dogs, and obviously had left the keys in the ignition.

But as she went to get into the driver’s seat, one of her dogs knocked the hand brake, releasing the car and stared it rolling, while the woman had her arm caught in the door. The poor dog lover was dragged along with the car until she eventually fell to the ground.

As she fell, her car ran over her, causing some serious injuries to her back, neck, shoulders, and left hip.

It took nearly a decade, but finally the woman involved in the freak accident was awarded her lump sum in compensation this week by the Transport Accident Commission.

Ann Cunningham, the lawyer representing the woman, from the law firm Stringer Clark, told reporters, “I really thought I’ve seen it all now. The hardest thing about this case was the multiple injuries and the time it took waiting for them to stabilise. She had many surgeries, including a hip replacement and a bilateral shoulder replacement.”

Cunningham added, “Obviously, there was no liable party in this accident, and while it has its humorous dimension, the major injuries caused were no laughing matter for the woman concerned. While this is a highly unusual car accident, it underlines the point that TAC offers nofault compensation payments to help injured people in their rehab and to get on with their lives as best they can. In my experience, people in regional areas are reluctant to pursue their injury entitlements, but it is important to bear in mind that we pay our car registrations and insurance premiums precisely so that we are covered should we suffer serious injury.”

The lump sum compensation is in addition to payouts for medical expenses and income entitlements.