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Bin Lorry Crash: Driver Harry Clarke Issues Apology

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mikey4444 | 06:48 Wed 04th Nov 2015 | News
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34703450

This affair has been complete balls-up from start to finish.

Clarke was officially told he would not face further prosecution, effectively giving him immunity over the deaths and causing protests from victims' families at the way the case had been handled. This is despite that fact that A similar blackout had happened to him in the driving seat of a bus, although he had not disclosed the incident on his heavy goods vehicle licence renewal application, despite such self reporting being mandatory.

Now he offers his apology ! In October 2015 it was reported that Clarke had been arrested on suspicion of driving without a licence the previous month.

You couldn't make it up.

I can only imagine what must be going through the minds of the families of the people that he killed that day.

To repeat....a complete balls-up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Glasgow_bin_lorry_crash
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I agree Mikey.
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Morning Boaty !

The authorities couldn't have cocked this investigation up any worse if they had tried.
//although he had not disclosed the incident on his heavy goods vehicle licence renewal application//

Culpable

Why didn't the bus company report him? Or did they not know?
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Morning 1ozzy !

This is a complicated case, but no, he didn't report his health problems to his employers. Read the Wiki link, as it gives a good run-down of the whole sorry saga.eo
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Ignore the eo above...fingers still asleep the morning !
I bet he's still gutted.

Makes no difference to the families but he didn't set out to kill anyone. He, imo, just carried on thinking it wouldn't happen to him.

He was wrong....I bet he beats himself up daily.
// It was stated that Clarke had been passed fit to return to work as a bus driver owing to failures by both the bus company's doctor and Clarke's own General Practitioner //

Over here if we want to hold a heavy vehicle drivers licence and/or a bus driver authority we have to have medical examinations by an independent doctor.
If we do not agree with a doctors assessment the government will nominate a doctor to assess us.
I think it's the same here, Oz.
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Iozzy...the Wiki entry went on to say :::

"The inquiry further found that Clarke had subsequently lied about this medical history, both when he applied for a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licence from the DVLA in Swansea and in his job application to Glasgow City Council"

While the system may have loopholes in the process, its quite clear to me that Clark himself is to blame for this fatal accident. He knew that he was potentially unfit to drive but still continued to do so.

Its worth bearing in mind here that the families are contemplating bringing a private action against Clark. Here is a recent link from a BBC Scotland documentary, screened last night ( Tuesday 3rd )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34709628
I have an "old mate" that also owns and operates a school bus service.
He had a minor "blackout" a few months ago, at home, not working.
The first thing the doctors did was report his medical condition to the powers that be. He was banned from driving a car for one month, a heavy vehicle and/or bus for three months minimum. He had to undergo further testing before being allowed to ever drive his bus/heavy vehicle again.

//The authorities couldn't have cocked this investigation up any worse if they had tried.//

If you have peoples lives in your hands you need to act responsibly, as does everyone else that is involved.
I agree he is at fault Mikey and so is the "system" that allowed him to get away with it.

Therefore he should be held culpable.
If he is still driving it doesn't seem as though he's burdened with remorse and grief.
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100% agree 1ozzy !

But the problem here is all the authorities associated with this sorry affair are passing the buck. In many ways, this was an accident waiting to happen.
I hope the various agencies have seen the loopholes that occurred here and have made stringent efforts to close them.
There was a documentary about this case on BBC Scotland last night.
The families are devastated, to put it mildly.
The consensus is that the system has let them down.
One legal person said that because of the lies he wrote on the forms, denying blackouts etc, which enabled him to be at the wheel of the bin lorry, the minimum charge he should be facing is dangerous driving.
Yet, he will not be prosecuted.
A dreadful scenario!

'The inquiry also revealed that Clarke's medical history contained episodes of dizziness and fainting dating from the 1970s and that he had previously suffered a blackout while at the wheel of a First Glasgow bus, which was in service but stationary at a bus stop. It was stated that Clarke had been passed fit to return to work as a bus driver owing to failures by both the bus company's doctor and Clarke's own General Practitioner (GP) to spot that Clarke had changed his account of events, telling his GP that the episode had occurred in the canteen, which the GP then attributed to the hot conditions and deemed to be unlikely to be repeated'

He blatantly lied and mislead his GP/employers to keep his job, knowing that there was a real danger of him having a repeat 'blackout' while at the wheel.

Should have been charged with manslaughter





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Joe...agree 100% !

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