Motorbike accident news
08/11/2007

Fatal diesel spillage leads to damages

The family of a man who died in a motorbike accident caused by spilt diesel have been awarded £110,000 in road accident compensation.

The Dorset family made the compensation claim following the death of the 58-year-old biker in March 2006.

He had been travelling on his Yamaha Royal Star 1200 to a rally in Skegness when a patch of spilt diesel caused him to lose control and collide with an oncoming van. He suffered serious personal injuries in the road accident and was rushed to a local hospital but died later the same day.

The person responsible for the diesel spillage was never traced but the deceased biker's family made a compensation claim through the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), an organisation created to compensate those affected by untraceable and uninsured drivers.

Speaking after the motorcycle accident damages were awarded, the man's son said: "We are extremely pleased that our claim has been successful and hope that it will now open doors for other families who have lost loved ones.

"Diesel spills on our roads are responsible for a growing number of injuries and deaths, and the tragedy is that they could so easily be prevented."

The family's personal injury solicitor also spoke after the motorbike accident claim, saying, "Motorcyclists and drivers who are involved in accidents and suffer injuries as a result of diesel spills often don't realise they can claim compensation because the person responsible for the spill may be unknown.

"The MIB have checked their records and as far as they know it's the first successful claim of its kind."