A fatal accident inquiry into the Glasgow bin crash that killed six people before Christmas is expected to start at the end of July.
The hearing will begin on July 22nd after preliminary hearings and could last at least five weeks. The accident involved a Glasgow City Council bin lorry that collided into pedestrians in the heart of Glasgow days before Christmas. Six people were killed, and others seriously injured following the crash in George Square.
The fatal accident inquiry will look at the driver’s medical background and technical aspects relating to the lorry and the accident.
Right to Know
The FAI has been welcomed by the families of the victims of the accident. Matthew and Jacqueline McQuade, who lost their daughter and Jacqueline’s parents in the accident stating that the FAI would hopefully provide them with some closure and give them answers above how their loved ones died.
Mr McQuade said: “If my daughter had been murdered, there wouldn’t have been a stone left unturned.
“This fatal accident inquiry and the way it is handled is now the most important thing to us.
“We feel that the investigation should have lasted longer. We need the truth, and we need answers.”
A Crown Office spokesman said: “We appreciate how terribly devastating this incident has been on all the families involved and we assure them that we are doing everything possible to ensure that the forthcoming fatal accident inquiry, led by the Solicitor General, will provide them with the answers they deserve.”
Potential Reforms to Fatal Accident Inquiries
Fatal accident inquiries can be launched into numerous incidents and are compulsory when relating to a death in a workplace or the death of a person in custody, however, FAI’s can also be launched in unexpected or unknown deaths. This allows investigators to try and access exactly what happened to lead to the deaths.
MSPs are considering making changes to the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Bill which could see specialist sheriffs and centralising the system, however, such a move has been opposed by the Sheriffs’ Association. In a statement they said: “It seems to be envisaged that sheriff principals will no longer conduct inquiries”.
“The designation of specialist sheriffs is likely to lead to the centralisation of FAIs and the grouping of specialist sheriffs in only a small number of courts or specialist FAI centres. We would strongly oppose such a move.’’
As well as potentially centralising the system, there has been a call to introduce mandatory FAI’s for the death of any children that die in care and for those that die when abroad.
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