A St Johnstone fan injured in a supporters’ bus fire has been given £15,000 in damages by Stagecoach – with more causes being launched against the firm.
Chris Mitchell, 44, and son Lewis escaped the burning vehicle by jumping from a smashed window after it went up in flames on the A9.
The vehicle was transporting about 70 fans back to Perth from a League Cup match at Hampden when the fire happened near Auchterarder in November 2021.
Five people were taken to hospital following the blaze.
St Johnstone fan who saved son from bus fire gets payout
Chris, who lowered his son from the bus before jumping from the vehicle, breaking his heel, claims it has left him with PTSD.
His legal case against Stagecoach came after at least nine other fires involving the company’s vehicles since November 2018.
Chris told The Courier: “There was something not right with that bus.
“There was a funny smell when we got on but we didn’t think anything of it.
“The whole bus just went up in flames.
“There were loads of kids on the bus – thankfully they were near the front and managed to get out.”
Chris now wants a full probe into why the bus caught fire.
He added: “I wasn’t particularly interested in the money but nobody is doing anything about it.
“These buses shouldn’t be catching fire as often as they do.
“When I got that settlement, that was their way of saying they know something is not right.”
More St Johnstone fans launch legal cases against Stagecoach over bus fire
Robert Kernaghan, partner at Digby Brown in Dundee – who handled the legal case on Chris’s behalf – has revealed more cases involving St Johnstone fans are being pursued against Stagecoach.
He said: “Many fans were understandably traumatised by the incident and it’s frankly incredible that people didn’t suffer more serious injuries.
“We acted for a lot of people affected by this incident and we are pleased that Stagecoach has at last done the right thing and accepted liability at an early stage.
“We do still have several ongoing cases so we cannot comment further but we are pleased to have been able to support Mr Mitchell with his successful case.”
Stagecoach: Bus fires ‘relatively rare’
A Stagecoach East Scotland spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers, our employees and other road users is our absolute priority.
“Thermal incidents of varying natures can affect any vehicle type, including cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles, as well as buses regardless of the operator involved.
“In the context of the millions of miles operated by buses across the UK every day, incidents in the sector are relatively rare.
“Nevertheless, as a responsible company, we are committed to working openly and constructively with the DVSA, vehicle manufacturers, other operators and the sector trade bodies, to help better understand the root causes of any incidents and reduce their occurrence.”
The Courier put seven key questions to Stagecoach back in June after the latest fire on board one of its vehicles.
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