Expert Lawyers Say Three-Year Wait For Information Is Unacceptable

Expert lawyers representing 40 people affected by the fatal Legionnaire’s disease outbreak which ripped through Edinburgh in 2012 say a Fatal Accident Inquiry is now crucial after the Crown Office admitted that three years on it still did not know what caused the outbreak.

The Crown Office today (8 April 2015) held a special closed meeting with the families of those who died from the disease after the outbreak in July 2012. At the meeting they explained that they will not be prosecuting any person or organisation for the four deaths that occurred and that a decision on whether or not to hold a FAI was yet to be made.

They said that during the course of the investigation a number of reports were submitted to the Crown Office for breaches of health and safety regulations unrelated to the deaths and that a number of companies are to be prosecuted in relation to those breaches. In total 92 people are known to have been affected by the illness outbreak.

Now specialist personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell Scotland, who are also representing victims of the Clutha helicopter crash in Glasgow, say that many of those affected have suffered serious life-changing illnesses but three years on are no closer to learning the truth behind what caused the sudden outbreak of Legionnaires ’ disease.

Irwin Mitchell Scotland has been working in the background to further the legal cases on behalf of victims. In 2014 the law firm commissioned its own expert to report back on their findings as they were becoming disillusioned with the time official investigations were taking.

Elaine Russell, a partner at Irwin Mitchell Scotland leading the legal case on behalf of the victims, said:

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