Our Military Injury Claims team has secured out of court compensation for a woman whose husband was killed in a British Army navigation exercise.
Our client’s husband, an Army Reservist, was taking part in the navigation exercise across the Brecon Beacons in South Wales on the 13th of July, 2013. The task was part of the selection process for one of the Army’s specialist units and included 38 Army Reservists in total.
On the day of the exercise, the Met Office indicated a ‘Wet Bulb Globe Temperature’ of 25° C, a temperature reading which measures the effect of heat on the human body. However, meter readings from the exercise itself show that temperatures actually reached 31.2° C.
The exercise was a test march covering a distance of 26.4km through 5 check points. Candidates had to carry a rucksack weighing no less than 49lbs, not including food or 3 litres of water. Water was available at check points 1, 4 and 5 only, and there were 4 routes that candidates could take.
Our client’s husband set off at approximately 06:52 along the Red Route, passing his last check point at 14:52. He collapsed at approximately 16:10 and was found over 40 minutes later at 16:52. He was taken to hospital and sadly died 17 days later. Tragically, two other Lance Corporals were found dead on the route itself.
In June 2015, there was an Inquest into the three deaths. The following year, the Health and Safety Executive found that the deaths were due to the MoD’s failure to plan, assess and manage the risks associated with climatic illness during the exercise.
The MoD admitted fault and agreed to an out of court settlement to help support our client following the loss of her husband.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury while training in the Armed Forces, we could be able to help. Contact our Military Injury Claims team, or visit our Military Training Injury Claims page for more information.
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