Collins v Insurance Australia Ltd [2021] NSWDC 371

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Collins v Insurance Australia Ltd [2021] NSWDC 371 Hearing dates: 20 – 21 July 2021 Date of orders: 02 August 2021 Decision date: 02 August 2021 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraph 138 Catchwords: TORTS – negligence – motor accidents – plaintiff suffers personal injury in driving her motor vehicle in the course of her attempt to avoid colliding with stationary vehicle on a roadway – vehicle stationary as the result of a traffic jam – traffic jam was a consequence of an earlier traffic collision on the same roadway – earlier traffic collision resulted from an insured driver's negligent driving – plaintiff brings claim against insurer – restrictions on the application of the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) – whether plaintiff's personal injuries were the result of and caused by a dangerous situation caused by the insured's driving of a vehicle – whether the scope of the insured's duty of care to other motorists on the roadway extended to the plaintiff – identification of the risk of harm – whether risk of harm foreseeable and not insignificant – causation – whether scope of liability element satisfied – whether damages should be reduced because of contributory negligence Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) ss 5B, 5C, 5D, 5I, 5K, 5R Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ss 69, 78 Motor Accident Compensation Amendment Act 2010 (NSW) Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) ss 3A, 3B, 10, 113 Road Rules 2014 (NSW) r 126 Cases Cited: Adeels Palace Pty Ltd v Moubarak (2009) 239 CLR 420 Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Gonzales (2013) 65 MVR 286; [2013] NSWSC 362 Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v GSF Australia Pty Ltd (2005) 221 CLR 568 Anikin v Sierra (2004) 79 ALJR 452 Astley v Austrust Ltd (1999) 197 CLR 1 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Cassimatis (No. 8) (2016) 336 ALR 209 Avopiling Pty Ltd v Bosevski; Avopiling Pty Ltd v The Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer (2018) 98 NSWLR 171 Bayon v Bayon (2014) 69 MVR 360; [2014] NSWCA 434 Benic v State of New South Wales [2010] NSWSC 1039 Bourhill v Young [1943] AC 92 Caltex Refineries (Qld) Pty Ltd v Stavar (2009) 75 NSWLR 649 Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 Carr v Western Australia (2007) 232 CLR 138 CFMEU v Mammoet Australia Pty Ltd (2013) 248 CLR 619 Chapman v Hearse (1961) 106 CLR 112 D'Orta-Ekenaike v Victoria Legal Aid (2005) 223 CLR 1 Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 Dwyer v Southern [1961] SR(NSW) 896 Evans v Lindsay (2006) 46 MVR 531; [2006] NSWCA 354 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v ICI Australia Ltd (1972) 127 CLR 529 Jaensch v Coffey (1984) 155 CLR 549 King v Phillips [1953] 1 QB 429 Lithgow City Council v Jackson (2011) 244 CLR 352 Mahony v J Kruschich (Demolitions) Pty Ltd (1985) 156 CLR 522 Manley v Alexander (2005) 80 ALJR 413 McKenna v Hunter & New England Local Health District (2013) Aust Torts Rep 82-158; [2013] NSWCA 476 Minister Administering the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 v San Sebastian Pty Ltd [1983] 2 NSWLR 268 Monaghan Surveyors Pty Ltd v Stratford Glen–Avon Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 94 Palsgraf v Long Island R.R (1928) 162 N.E. 99 Paul v Cooke (2013) 85 NSWLR 167 Podrebersek v Australian Iron & Steel Pty Ltd (1985) 59 ALR 529 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 RG & KM Whitehead Pty Ltd v Lowe (2013) 63 MVR 375; [2013] NSWCA 117 RTA v Dederer (2007) 234 CLR 330 Scott v Williamson (2013) 63 MVR 396; [2013] NSWCA 124 Seltsam Pty Ltd v McNeill (2006) 4 DDCR 1; [2006] NSWCA 158 Shoalhaven City Council v Pender (2016) Aust Torts Reports ¶82-319; [2016] NSWCA 210 South Western Sydney Local Health District v Gould (2018) 97 NSWLR 513 Sullivan v Moody (2001) 207 CLR 562 Sydney Water Corporation v Turano (2009) 239 CLR 51 Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) v Miller (2015) 91 NSWLR 752 Verryt v Schoupp (2015) 70 MVR 484; [2015] NSWCA 128 Wallace v Kam (2013) 250 CLR 375 Waller v James (2015) 90 NSWLR 634 Woolcock Street Investments Pty Ltd v CDG Pty Ltd (2004) 216 CLR 515 Work Health Authority v Outback Ballooning Pty Ltd (2019) 266 CLR 428 Zotti v Australasia Associated Motor Insurers Ltd (2009) 54 MVR 111; [2009] NSWCA 323 Texts Cited: Australian Concise Dictionary, 2nd ed C Sappideen & P Vines (eds), Fleming's The Law of Torts (10th ed, 2011) D Pearce & R Geddes, Statutory Interpretation in Australia (8th ed, 2014, LexisNexis) D Villa, Annotated Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) (3rd ed, 2018, Thomson Reuter) H Dillon (ed) Advocacy and Judging: Selected Papers of Murray Gleeson (2017, The Federation Press) Macquarie Dictionary, online ed Oxford English Dictionary, online ed P Herzfeld & T Prince, Interpretation (2nd ed, 2019, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Ms L Collins (plaintiff) Insurance Australia Ltd (defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr D Higgs SC with Mr J Wilson for the plaintiff Mr A Stone SC with Mr A Jucha for the defendant