Parked buses belonging to California Bus Service Ltd/ Courtesy photoCalifornia Bus Service Ltd has lost its appeal against a court ruling that awarded damages to a passenger injured in a reckless driving case.This is after the High Court found that the company’s sole ground of appeal was too general to be sustained.The dispute arose from an accident on or about April 28, 2019, along the Karuma-Pakwach Highway, where a bus registered as UAP 161F and belonging to California Bus Service Ltd was allegedly driven recklessly and at excessive speed, causing an accident that seriously injured passenger Osubia Jemmily.According to court records, Jemmily sued California Bus Service Ltd and its driver, Edace Micheal, jointly and severally in the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Arua, seeking special and general damages for negligence.She told the court that the crash left her with simple and compound fractures on her left arm, forcing her to undergo several operations and incur medical expenses amounting to Shs 10,451,000.Jemmily further argued that the injuries caused permanent damage to her left arm, leaving her in constant pain and affecting both her work as a teacher and her ability to provide for her family as a single parent.During the trial, Jemmily said the defendants were served through a court process server, Letaru Cissy, but they failed to file a defense. Based on an affidavit of service dated November 3, 2021, the trial magistrate ruled that the appellants had been properly served and entered default judgment against them on December 7, 2021, under Order 9 Rule 8 of the Civil Procedure Rules.The matter later proceeded to formal proof and assessment of damages on January 24, 2022, and the hearing concluded on March 4, 2022.The trial court then found that the second appellant had acted recklessly and negligently while in the course of employment, causing the accident and injuries to Jemmily. It also held that the first appellant was vicariously liable for the driver’s conduct.The court awarded Jemmily Shs 20 million in general damages and Shs 800,000 in special damages, with interest at a common rate from the date of judgment until full payment.Unhappy with the outcome, the appellants applied on April 21, 2022, to set aside the default judgment and ex parte proceedings in Miscellaneous Application No. 0021 of 2022. But the trial magistrate rejected the application, holding that the affidavit of service showed the appellants had been duly served and had simply failed to file a defense. That application was dismissed for lack of merit with costs to Jemmily on November 1, 2022. The company and its co-appellant then challenged both the main judgment and the ruling on the application.However, when the appeal came up for hearing before Hon. Lady Justice Harriet Grace Magala, the court noted problems with the manner in which the appeal had been framed.Justice Magala said an appellant must clearly and specifically identify what decision of the trial court is being challenged. She stressed that a ground of appeal should point to a particular holding, finding, or decision, rather than expressing general dissatisfaction with the judgment.In this case, the California Bus Service’s single ground of appeal stated that the trial magistrate erred in law and fact by failing to properly evaluate the evidence and by not finding that they had not been duly served with summons to file a defense. The court found this to be a general and omnibus complaint.“The Appellant is on a fishing expedition, hoping the court will identify for him any wrong, if any, committed by the trial court,” Justice Magala said, adding that such a ground cannot be allowed to stand because the court was not guided on what exactly was being challenged. In her ruling delivered on July 1, 2026, Justice Magala struck out the only ground of appeal. With no valid ground left before the court, the appeal was dismissed with costs. The post California Bus Service Loses Appeal, Must Pay Millions To Injured Passenger appeared first on Business Focus.