Lawyers call for release of FAI after Clutha payouts
LAWYERS are calling for the speedy publication of a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Clutha disaster after it was revealed £1.3 million in compensation had been paid out.
As revealed in later editions of last night’s Evening Times, 10 people who suffered injuries in the helicopter crash were awarded a share of payouts ranging from £5,000 to £600,000.
Lawyers said “no amount of money” could alter the events of November 29, 2013, when a police helicopter crashed onto the roof of the busy Clutha pub in Glasgow, killing 10 people.
Mark Gibson of Digby Brown Solicitors said: “The Clutha tragedy was an unprecedented event that caused devastation for hundreds, if not thousands, of people across the country.
“No amount of money can prevent the life-changing events of that night in 2013. But compensation does give these individuals the means to get their lives back on track so they can focus on recovering with their loved ones.
“To respect our clients’ privacy we will not discuss individual cases, however we can confirm our cases have now settled.”
An investigation in 2015 found that helicopter’s fuel transfer switches were turned off at the time of the crash. But it could not answer why the pilot did not land or send a distress call. Compensation claims were made to Babcock, which owns the firm that operated the helicopter, for post-traumatic stress, serious brain or spinal injuries. It is understood that Babcock could see the compensation bill rise to £10 million related to 80 individual claims.
Irwin Mitchell Scotland, representing 16 others affected by the crash, said on October 20 that cases had settled for undisclosed amounts.
David Bell from the legal firm said: “The individual cases for those who were injured and the family members of those who sadly died have all now concluded and our clients are seeking to move on from this tragedy.
“But there is still more that can be done.
“We and our clients would still like to see a Fatal Accident Inquiry as soon as possible as we believe that there are more lessons to learn, both about the accident itself and its aftermath.
“One of the issues with this crash was the helicopter was not required to be fitted with a black box recorder which means vital data was not recorded.
“We think the regulations should be changed to ensure all smaller passenger aircraft are required to have black box recorders fitted.”