 Poster: A snowHead
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Relatives of the 155 people who died when the crowded Kaprun cable car in Austria caught fire in 2000 will share 13.9 million euros in compensation. The settlement ends more than 7 years of legal wrangling. A total of 451 claimants will split the settlement.
...The passengers died when a fire blamed on a faulty heater swept through the cable car packed with skiers and snowboarders. Only 12 people escaped. Most of the victims were from Austria and Germany. Eight were Americans, and the others were from Japan, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Britain.
Austrian prosecutors charged 16 people with criminal negligence in the disaster, including employees of Gletscherbahnen Kaprun AG, which operated the cable car; employees of the company that manufactured the car; technicians; and two government officials. In February 2004, a court acquitted all 16. Eight later were retried on appeal and again acquitted.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/17/europe/EU-GEN-Austria-Cable-Car-Fire.php
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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90k euro per death does not seem much by way of compensation.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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JP, Most were very young and probably had very few dependents. Does seem a small amount for a life but I guess the court decided it was more accident than negligence.
I was there a month before. Could have been me.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| JP wrote: |
| 90k euro per death does not seem much by way of compensation. |
You would be surprised how little is awarded to an estate in the UK for actual death as a result of negligence unless there is a claim by dependents which can be very substanial.
So if a 19 year student killed with no dependents would only be awarded £10k in this country if the death arose as a result of negligence however gross.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 18-06-08 12:23; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| I was there a month before. Could have been me. |
A workmate of mine was in the queue, looking up at first they thought it was just a dark cloud passing over.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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is this a different incident from the fire in a funicular Kaprun? It does report it as a cable car incident, I'm not aware of anything occuring in a cable car in Kaprun.
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I believe the principle in law in the UK is that recipients of damages for deaths or injuries caused by negligence should not profit from the death/injury. So if someone is disabled and requires long term care the payout can run into millions, but if someone who has no dependants dies the payout would be very small. It seems odd at times, but the logic is sensible.
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| RobinS wrote: |
| I believe the principle in law in the UK is that recipients of damages for deaths or injuries caused by negligence should not profit from the death/injury. So if someone is disabled and requires long term care the payout can run into millions, but if someone who has no dependants dies the payout would be very small. It seems odd at times, but the logic is sensible. |
that's right and its a standard award as set out above. Dependancy claims can be high eg if high earning motner of a child aged 2 is killed as a result of negligence the child could have a high award.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Wow, kaprun doesn't seem to be a very safe place... There was the funicular fire of 2001 too?
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I can't beleive I don't remember this event 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jj193, This is the settlement from the funicular fire.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Christopher wrote: |
| is this a different incident from the fire in a funicular Kaprun? It does report it as a cable car incident, I'm not aware of anything occuring in a cable car in Kaprun. |
No it's the same incident. el Hen's original post is to the International Herald Tribune website, which is an American news source. What we call a cable car they would call a tram, which term you will notice they have not used. Their use of the term "cable car" refers to a carriage on a track eg San Francisco's cable cars.
I also used the Kaprun funicular just a few month's before the tragedy. 
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155 died but there are 451 claimants. 2.9 people made claims per one death. Is this logical?
I wonder how safe it is to take the last train to go up Jungfrau. The train virtually spends 30 minutes traveling inside the interior of a mountain. If a fire does break out what would be the chance of survival?
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You know it makes sense.
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saikee,
I assume every dependant had to make an individual claim, if a victim left behind a spouse and 2.4 children then that would be 3.4 claims per death.
If a fire broke out in an aircraft in mid-flight what are the chances of survival?
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Gen007
Gen007
Guest
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Most were very young and probably had very few dependents. Does seem a small amount for a life but I guess the court decided it was more accident than negligence.
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