Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Survivors pursuing legal action after Stonehaven rail crash

passengers who survive train crash
A carriage is lifted by crane from the site of the Stonehaven rail crash.

Stonehaven train crash survivors are pursuing legal action as questions continue to be raised over why the incident happened.

It is understood that at least three survivors have approached Aberdeen legal firm Digby Brown for advice over suing for damages in connection with the incident.

The train crash, which was the first fatal accident in the UK involving passengers on  train since 2007, happened when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed after striking a landslip on August 12.

Three people died and a further six were taken to hospital with injuries.

It is understood a number of survivors are continuing to receive ongoing therapy and medical treatment as a result of the crash, four months on.

‘We are of the view that this incident was avoidable’

“We are of the view that this incident was avoidable,” said Neil Davidson, a partner at Digby Brown Solicitors in Aberdeen who is assisting some survivors involved in the derailment.

He added: “Our clients have many questions about the crash.

“Particularly, what series of events led to the crash occurring?

“We are going to assist them in receiving the answers to their questions.”

Digby Brown declined to comment on who they believe may have acted incorrectly on the morning of the Stonehaven derailment, but said they are carefully examining the situation from all angles.

Digby Brown
Neil Davidson

An interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel, and stated that “slopes can fail with little indication of distress prior to failure if a sufficiently high volume of water falls locally.”

Prior to the crash, nearly a months’ worth of heavy rain had fallen in just four hours.

Drainage in the area had been inspected in May of this year by Network Rail, with no defects recorded.

Investigators are still working to establish further details about the crash, including why it occurred, and how something similar can be prevented from happening again.

“Our clients eagerly await the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) final report in the hope it provides answers,” said Mr Davidson.

He added: “The RAIB will also, hopefully, identify lessons that can be learned and procedures that can be improved so an incident like this does not occur again in the future.

“In the meantime, we will continue to liaise with the authorities and organisations involved and continue to support our clients by ensuring they have access to expert healthcare professionals to assist with their recovery and wellbeing.”

‘This was a tragic incident that caused the unnecessary loss of three innocent lives’

The extent of the injuries sustained by the surviving individuals on board have not been confirmed but are not believed to have been serious.

The scale of the damages being sought by the claimants is also currently unknown.

“This was a tragic incident that caused the unnecessary loss of three innocent lives and unnecessary injuries to all of those involved and our condolences go to the families of the individuals who lost their lives,” Mr Davidson said.

The 06:54 from Stonehaven: The full series