8 December 2004
The
Motor Insurers’ Bureau have agreed to pay compensation to victims of the rail crash at Ufton Nervet following discussions with
Network Rail and the rail operator
First Group.
After the crash at
Ufton Nervet, near Reading, which killed six passengers and injured another 150, there has been some speculation over who will pay the compensation for the victims and their families.
It has now been confirmed that the driver, who appears to have committed suicide by leaving his car on the train line, had no insurance and the claims will therefore be dealt with by the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB). They announced this week that they will be ‘meeting in full all personal injury claims submitted by victims of the Berkshire rail crash’ and that they have already made arrangements for counselling and rehabilitation of victims.
The MIB payments will be made under the Uninsured Drivers’ agreement which meets the costs of personal injury claims for drivers who are involved in accidents but who have no insurance.
The MIB is paid for by the insurance industry, so the real costs of the tragedy will be met by ordinary motorists who subsidise claims for uninsured drivers through increases in their own insurance policies. However the MIB insists that motorists are unlikely to notice the increase as the estimated £30 million bill will be spread out over time.
36 claims have so far been received by the MIB and some interim payments have already been made.
Leigh Day & Co’s specialist train disaster department are now handling five claims for victims of the Berkshire crash. They can provide free initial legal advice and information regarding claims through the MIB. Any person seeking to claim should contact
Sally Moore on 020 7650 1200.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.