Two brothers, who have been "feuding for the past 20 years", were at loggerheads again yesterday when one sued the other over a car accident.
Mr Robert Hughes, a haulier, of Oberstown, Lusk, Co Dublin, claimed his brother, Noel, drove into the back of his car after both had left the Man O' War pub, Skerries Road, Lusk, at about 1 a.m. on October 12th , 2001.
Mr Noel Hughes, of Jordanstown, Lusk, told the Circuit Civil Court his brother, who was driving in front of him, had jammed on his brakes and rammed his car into reverse. As a result he was unable to avoid a collision.
Mr Robert Hughes told his counsel, Mr Declan Wade, that after getting into his car in the pub car-park he found his brother had reversed behind him to block him in.
Noel had then parked near the exit, waited for him to leave and had then followed him.
A short distance from the pub a Jack Russell dog had run across the road in front of Robert's car and he had slowed down and stopped. His brother had driven into the back of him and had driven off without stopping.
Mr Noel Hughes said he could see his brother's reverse lights come on after his car had suddenly stopped. There was no dog that he could see.
"There's been an ongoing feud with myself and this brother of mine for approximately 20 years," Mr Noel Hughes said.
"Only six months earlier he tackled me outside his own yard with a three feet-long solid iron bar which I physically had to take off him in a grapple on the ground. I was afraid he would cut me to bits with it or make bits of my car."
Mr Noel Hughes told Judge Elizabeth Dunne he did not stop at the scene of the accident because he did not want a row.
Judge Dunne said the family feud was an unfortunate matter but on the balance of probabilities she favoured Mr Robert Hughes' evidence.
She awarded him €7,927 compensation for material damage to his car. He had not made any claim for personal injuries.