Admiral battles £250,000 suicide car crash claim

Admiral is battling a £250,000 claim for one of its policyholders who rammed his car into a Bristol shopping centre in a failed suicide bid.

James Williams, 26, of Stoke Gifford, Bristol, amazingly survived the horrific crash at the Cabot Circus shopping centre, but caused serious damage to a House of Fraser store.

Following the smash, Cabot Circus owners, Bristol Alliance Limited Partnership, won a £250,000 damages claim against a now jailed Williams.

The Partnership want EUI Limited – a subsidiary of Admiral Group – to pay for the bill as they were Williams motor insurers.

However, Admiral fiercely contests paying out, stressing that liability is ruled out because it was a deliberate act.

After two days of argument last week from both sides at the High Court in London, Mr Justice Tugendhat reserved his judgment on the issue until a later, unspecified, date.

Williams suicide bid caused a huge amount of damage to the shopping centre. Other motorists at the time said Williams had been driving at high speed before hitting another car and smashing into the 30-foot plate glass windows of the store.

He later admitted he was trying to kill himself to police officers and to the Probation Service after pleading guilty to causing criminal damage.

Admiral declined to comment, other than saying the claim came under the Bell brand.