A woman who suffered a three per cent disability following a traffic accident almost nine years ago has won €8,100 in compensation.

Charmaine Chetcuti was awarded the damages after a court found that the motorist, John Wilson, was solely responsible for the traffic accident in L-Erba’ Mwieżeb Street, St Paul’s Bay, on December 23, 2006.

Mr Justice Anthony Ellul, however, found that the driver of another car, Dunstan Farrugia, was not to blame for the crash. Ms Chetcuti was a passenger in Mr Farrugia’s Peugeot 206, which was involved in a collision with an oncoming Renault Clio, being driven by Mr Wilson.

Ms Chetcuti filed her compensation claim against both Mr Wilson and Mr Farrugia.

The court heard Ms Chetcuti and her mother, who was also a passenger in the car, explain how they saw the Clio mount the central strip before crossing over to their lane and crashing into their car.

Medical court experts quantified the disability at eight per cent but the report was dated March 2007. When she was re-examined in February 2014 the extent of disability was lowered to three per cent.

The court heard how Ms Chetcuti suffered no fractures but damaged tissues around bones in her neck.

As he calculated the compensation owed, Mr Justice Ellul noted how Ms Chetcuti filed her claim for damages in March 2009 and the court case took six years because she took her time to bring evidence. For this reason, the court reduced the compensation by 12 per cent and fixed it at €8,100, including €550 already spent in medical expenses.