The family of a man, who was killed in an airplane crash in New Zealand, will not be able to claim compensation for a fatal airplane crash due to the country´s laws.
The family of Patrick Byrne (26) from County Wexford have written to New Zealand´s Prime Minister – John Key – asking that stronger safety enforcement is introduced following Patrick´s death in September 2010 when the Fletcher FU24 airplane he was a passenger in crashed shortly after take-off.
Patrick was killed along with three other tourists, the plane´s pilot and four ‘tandem’ sky-dive instructors in the accident at the Fox Glacier Airstrip in Westland, following which the coroner suggested that accident could have been caused by the airplane being unbalanced due to unrestrained passengers moving about during take-off.
The families have also urged the Prime Minister to amend the country´s laws, which do not allow them to claim compensation for a fatal airplane crash. New Zealand law does not allow legal action against companies for negligence and compensation is decided by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) – a Government department responsible for compensating residents and visitors to New Zealand who suffer personal injuries.
The ACC awarded the equivalent of just €3,200 in compensation for a fatal airplane crash to the families of the nine victims who died in the accident – an insufficient amount to repatriate Patrick´s body home to his family.