Motorsport news article on no win no fee legal challenge.

[chrisgtx]

I didn't quite know how to title this thread?
Anyway, I've just read John Fifes column in msn about the Scotmaps gent Bill Sturrock who was sued by a rally driver who crashed during a rally whilst using their pace notes!,now, the article doesn't go into the ins and outs of the case but the driver tried to sue using one of the parasitic no win no fee lawyers for 2.5 million!, thankfully they didn't win even after an appeal.
Can you imagine the damage this would of done to Motorsport?,it could and probably would of spoilt it for everyone.
As a spectator we get constantly told motorsport is dangerous, but as a competitor surely not only do you know it 100% but you sign up negating any responsibility to the organisers?.
I glad common sense won for once,but the mr sturrock was left severely out of pocket fighting for the good of Motorsport in general and there is a fund to try and help him. He's apparently needs 37k to save the family home.
I don't know if the rules here would let me add the details of how to help but I hope the Motorsport community will chop in and help,after all I'd like to think this case hopefully will put off anyone else who wants to take out a similar case.

I don't know any of the people in question,nor do I rally,I've only started competing in hill climbs and I know the risks but I'd be gutted if I had to stop competing or end up paying through the nose because of some spurious legal case cocking it all up.

Edited by chrisgtx on Saturday 5th July 16:34

[tapkaJohnD]

See website: http://www.rallysos.co.uk/index.html for full details of this case, that could have threatened motorsport as a whole.

John
(No involvement in this case - just heard about it eleswhere)

[fttm]

Running on unchecked notes provided by the organizers doesn't happen nowadays , and never should have .

[coppice]

There has always been the entirely false perception that what happens on a track or rally stage is outside the impact of the law , regardless of the circumstances or degree of fault. Plenty of case law to show that waivers etc are of limited or no effect and where spectators especially are concerned the usual disclaimer on your pass that if you're hurt then it's always at your own risk is nonsense, and has been for decades .

[Piglet]

The article is fairly cryptic about why this was such a damaging precedent? This presumably was a claim that the pace notes were wrong and that this was negligence and that negligence cause the accident and injury to the competitor (presumably a significant injury give the amount claimed). There's no precedent in that, it's standard negligence applied to a rally situation.

I'm amazed anyone only had £1m of public liability cover even 8 years ago, £5m was the standard at that time even for low risk activities.

Very sad for all involved as presumably there is a party in this with a serious injury.

Edited by Piglet on Wednesday 6th August 22:51

[santacruzsteve]

Piglet said:

Very sad for all involved as presumably there is a party in this with a serious injury.

Edited by Piglet on Wednesday 6th August 22:51

As a co driver competing in the scottish rally championship, actually used bills notes just last weekend at the speyside stages I do know a little more about what happened.

The crash itself was a very minor off, involving the driver cutting a corner more than he should, which no other driver did that day using the same notes!

I know how much hard work bill puts into rallying and am very glad he chose to fight as it would have set a very dangerous precedent for British motorsport.