- Stonehaven train derailment compensation.
- Network Rail fined £6.7 million.
- Improving rail safety measures.
Train conductor Donald Dinnie, passenger Christopher Stuchbury, and train operator Brett McCullough tragically lost their lives when the ScotRail train derailed on August 12, 2020, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire.
Solicitors say Network Rail must pay nearly £1 million to seven victims of the train crash that killed three.
On August 12, 2020, in the derailment near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, train conductor Donald Dinnie, aged 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, aged 62, lost their lives. The train driver, Brett McCullough, aged 45, was also among the fatalities.
Digby Brown, a law firm, represented two bereaved individuals and five passengers.
A separate criminal prosecution fined Network Rail £6.7 million last month for health and safety violations related to the accident, which occurred on a day of heavy rainfall.
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Digby Brown announced the amicable resolution of all civil actions its clients brought against Network Rail.
A spokesperson for the law firm stated, “I can confirm that all of our civil actions against Network Rail have been successfully resolved.”
“Although specifics cannot be disclosed, the total amount recovered was close to £1 million, with all damages appropriately compensating for the trauma, injuries, and losses that each individual endured and will continue to endure.”
“No amount of compensation will ever heal the wounds of the horrendous and avoidable tragedy at Stonehaven, but it can at least provide recognition to those affected and the means to look to the future in the most life-affirming way possible.”
Survivors of the collision sustained lacerations, permanent disfigurements, fractured bones, and psychiatric trauma.
A Network Rail representative said, “We once again extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident.”
“We also extend our deepest sympathies to the injured survivors for the suffering and anguish they have endured.”
“We’ve been working closely with victims and relatives since the tragic derailment at Stonehaven. Which has included efforts to address compensation claims.”
Last month, Network Rail pleaded guilty in Aberdeen’s High Court to the flaws that caused the deaths. The allegations against the company span the period from May 1, 2011, to August 12, 2020.
This encompassed the failure to notify the operator that operating the train at 75mph in inclement weather or advising a reduction in speed was hazardous on the day of the derailment, resulting in the injuries of six individuals.
According to a report released by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) in March of last year, deficiencies in the drainage system’s construction, installed by Carillion, rendered it incapable of handling the heavy precipitation that fell in the vicinity on the morning of the accident.
Carillion went into mandatory liquidation in January of 2018.
A significant number of the twenty recommendations put forth by the RAIB to enhance railway safety pertained to Network Rail.
Network Rail has said it will improve the “significant changes” it has made since the event, which have “helped us manage the risk of severe weather to the network” and cost millions of pounds to make the railway more resilient.
