Plaintiff Says Safety Precautions At The Venue Were Inadequate

The partner of Glen Dell, who was fatally injured nearly six years ago at the Secunda Air Show in South Africa, has filed a lawsuit seeking more than 17 million Rand from multiple defendants, including the organizers of the show.

The South African newspaper IOL reports that in her lawsuit, Jacqueline Eckersley says that there were inadequate safety precautions in place during the show, and that fire trucks were slow to arrive at the accident scene. Had they gotten there more quickly, Dell (pictured) might be alive today, Eckersley claims.

Dell was part of the Red Bull Air Race team that was performing at the show. He was fatally injured when his plane went down during an aerobatic routine. A post-impact fire caused Dell to suffer burns over about 90 percent of his body. He was transported to a hospital, but died the day after the accident. Eckersley says that Dell survived the accident, but the delay in extinguishing the fire and getting him out of the airplane were the cause of his death.

The suit names the Recreation Aviation Administration of South Africa (RAASA) , the Aeroclub of South Africa, Air Show South Africa and Sasol Limited, which provided the fire brigade for the show. All defendants say they are not guilty of any negligence in connection with the accident or Dell's death.

(Image from Red Bull YouTube video)

FMI: Source report