Lawyers Secure Vital Documents Regarding Fatal Incident In Spain

The widow of a Sutton Coldfield man who died following a trail riding accident in Spain two years ago has revealed her hope for answers regarding the circumstances surrounding his death after her lawyers took a step forward in their battle for justice in relation to the crash.

Mark Sears died aged 45 in April 2016, just hours after his bike left the road during a trail riding trip in Nerja, which was arranged by his employer Goodyear Dunlop Tyres (UK) Limited

Following his death, Mark’s widow, instructed Irwin Mitchell’s specialist International Personal Injury team to investigate the events that led to his death, with the legal experts commencing preliminary Court proceedings with action against Mark’s employers in relation to the incident.

Now, after the company was ordered at a recent hearing to disclose vital documents related to the case, the legal experts have revealed their determination to ensure Michelle’s legal battle comes to a swift conclusion.

Chrissie Wolfe, the specialist international lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who is representing Mrs Sears said: 

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“More than two years on from Mark’s death, the Sears family a; re understandably still attempting to come to terms with their loss.

“Following the inquest, questions remained unanswered about the circumstances surrounding Mark’s death and, after correspondence with Goodyear Dunlop Tyres (UK) did not result in any further answers, we were left with no choice but to issue Court proceedings and request that the Judge Order the release of vital documents.

“We were successful at the hearing and are now focused on doing everything we can to ensure that the family get the justice they deserve regarding Mark’s tragic death.” Christina Wolfe - Solicitor

Mark had worked at Goodyear Dunlop Tyres (UK) Limited for more than 27 years when he went on the work trip to Nerja, Spain, in April 2016. During the trip, the group undertook a trail riding day to compare tyre products, arranged with Redtread UK Ltd.

Mrs Sears said “Personally I don’t think that Mark should have been sent on this trip. He was tired and under a lot of stress, and had asked to be excused. It clearly carried risks.

“It was around 5pm when another rider saw Mark drift to the side of the road and fall around 15 to 20 metres. He was initially still conscious and was taken to hospital by Landrover where it became apparent that he’d suffered some major injuries.”

Mark was taken to Velez around 50 minutes away, but the hospital did not have the expertise to treat his serious injuries so a transfer to Malaga was arranged. However, sadly his injuries were fatal.

Mrs Sears added: “It is still hard to believe that Mark has gone and I remain completely devastated about losing him. He was a wonderful husband and father, we are lost without him.

“It has been a very difficult two years for the entire family and while nothing will ever bring Mark back, we are hopeful that obtaining more answers to the questions that we have regarding his death will help us come to terms with the loss. I cannot understand why a full independent investigation was not carried out at the time.

“It is welcome that the legal battle has taken a step forward, but our wider hope is that lessons will be learned from Mark’s death. I hope that employers think twice before allowing high risk work trips such as this, in the hope that a similar incident never happens again.”

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