COPTER CRASH 3 SUE MoD FOR pounds 1M; EXCLUSIVE: Injured Scots soldiers want damages.Byline: Craig McDonald THREE Scots soldiers who were horrifically injured in a helicopter crash are suing the Ministry of Defence for almost pounds 1million. Christopher Hamilton, John Falconer and Dahrll Duncan are demanding up to pounds 300,000 each after being forced to quit the Army on medical grounds. They are suing for "injury, loss and damage". The accident happened as the twin-engine Westland Puma was flying low near the Army's Catterick training camp in Yorkshire in August 2007. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant flight lieutenant Noun a junior commissioned officer in an air force David Sale David Sale is an Australian-based author and television scriptwriter. He has been a contributor to many TV drama series, provided special material for Australia's leading entertainers, and has worked as producer, director, actor and journalist. , 28, was killed in the crash, along with 17-year-old trainee Private Sean Tait, from Castlemilk, G l a s g o w, and Load-master Sergeant Philip Burfoot, 27. Nine of the other passengers were injured. An inquiry ruled the crash was caused by the RAF pilot "showing off". Papers lodged at the Royal Courts of Justice in London say the three Scots were passengers as the chopper took part in a RAF-Army exercise. Misfired At about 9pm, it is said to have been flying in an "erratic manner". While close to the ground, the engines misfired and it "suddenly turned on its side and crashed". Christopher, 19, of Kirkcaldy, Fife, suffered a fractured shoulder and broken foot, while John, 21, of Buckhaven, also Fife, suffered a dislocated shoulder A dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. As the most maneuverable joint in the human body, the shoulder is the joint most vulnerable to dislocation. , stomach cuts and a serious head injury. Dahrll, 19, of Turriff, Aberdeenshire, broke his back, which left him in constant pain. He was also concussed, suffered multiple jaw fractures, a dislocated hip and lost several teeth. All three still suffer from problems with their injuries. They suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and have been unable to work since, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the details contained in a nine-page writ issued against the MoD by the three men. Under the Warsaw Convention Not to be confused with the Warsaw Pact, which was a defence treaty between Eastern European nations. The Warsaw Convention is an international convention which regulates liability for international carriage of persons, luggage or goods performed by aircraft for reward. agreement of 1929, the MoD are liable if any passengers of their aircraft are hurt during operations. The writ says the chopper, which went into service in the early 1970s, was "poorly maintained" and had been due to be decommissioned in 2001 but had its operational life extended. It's claimed the pilot's ability to fly safely was "fatally impaired" by a mechanical or electrical fault. An inquiry concluded last month that the pounds 20million, 170mph Puma was being flown "dangerously fast and low". The chopper pilot would have faced criminal charges had he survived. An RAF source claimed he was "doing stunts a bit like a motorbike rider performing wheelies". The pounds 20million Puma, call sign Bravo Zulu Bravo Zulu is a naval signal, conveyed by flaghoist or voice radio, meaning "Well Done"; it has also passed into the spoken and written vocabulary. It can be combined with the "negative" signal, spoken or written NEGAT, to say "NEGAT Bravo Zulu", or "not well done". , was from the R A F 's 33 Squadron based at Benson, Oxfordshire. Relatives of the victims are now expected to sue the MoD for millions, claiming a breach of their "duty of CAPTION(S): CRASH VICTIM: Private Sean Tait HURT: Christopher, top, and John were injured in the crash, right |
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