US pays British troops for Iraq crash injuries

US pays British troops for Iraq crash injuries

In a groundbreaking move, the Pentagon is
compensating servicemen seriously hurt when an
American tank convoy forced them off the road

Mark Townsend, defence correspondent
Sunday November 4, 2007
The Observer

The Pentagon has agreed to pay more than £300,000
in compensation to British soldiers who were seriously
injured when their vehicle was in a collision with a US
tank convoy on an Iraqi road. The landmark decision is
the first time that the US military has offered money
to British troops injured by US forces after admitting
liability. The decision could, say lawyers, pave the
way for more payouts to British servicemen accidentally
injured in Iraq and Afghanistan by the Americans.

Corporal Jane McLauchlan, Staff Sergeant James
Rogerson, Corporal Stephen Smith and their interpreter,
Khalid Allahou, have been told they will receive
collective compensation of £320,000 from the US
authorities after the accident more than four years ago.
Initially, the American military denied it had any record
of the incident. Later it emerged that the collision had
been officially recorded at the time. Lawyers for the
British troops have accused the US authorities of
attempting to 'dump' their inquiry in a move to block
the compensation claim, the first private action
involving coalition allies in Iraq.

Michael Doyle, a personal injury lawyer for Houston-
based firm Doyle Raizner which took the case against
the Pentagon, said the claimants were relieved their
ordeal was over. 'They only ever wanted the US to
admit fault. After years of denying such an incident
even occurred, they have now admitted liability for
what happened. As far as we can tell, this is the
first and only time the US has paid out to British
troops.'

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