One of our Partners, Courtenay Poulden has just returned from Milan following a successful settlement conference for an Australian citizen injured in a motor vehicle accident in Udinese just north of Milan.
Principals of Private International Law apply. The case was commenced in the Supreme Court of New South Wales because the injured person was a resident here and suffered loss and damage in Australia.
The New South Wales Court was however obliged to apply Italian Law to the question of what compensation our client was entitled to. We linked up with a firm in Italy and got advice that established that the entitlement to damages in Italy were far greater than those available in New South Wales.
In concert with our agents in Milan we obtained expert opinion from Doctors and Lawyers as to what the damages were according to Italian Law and then arranged to meet directly with the insurance company to see if the matter could be resolved by negotiation.
Mr Poulden was accompanied by a Senior Counsel from the New South Wales Bar and together were successful in recovering compensation for our very happy client.
It is not uncommon that Australians are injured overseas. It also common for a visitor from another Country to suffer injury whilst in Australia. The Rules of Private International Law can be complex and can require careful attention.
In recent years we have acted for people as far a field as Helsinki, Nebraska and London in cases involving accidents with an International flavour. We have developed a particular expertise in this area.
Mr Poulden is a member of the American Association for Justice which is an Association of Lawyers with experience in acting for injured persons particularly where there are questions of International Law.
One of our Partners Mr Scott Hall-Johnston will be off to Helsinki shortly to take evidence on behalf of seriously injured Finish National who suffered as a result of a motor vehicle accident in Australia.
The District Court has allocated the matter to a Judge who will travel to Helsinki to hear the evidence in company with Lawyers from the varying parties in Australia.