The widow of a British tourist who died in a quad-biking accident in Morocco today spoke of her relief after one of Sir Richard Branson’s travel firms agreed to pay compensation.
Below is the full article as it appeared in the Evening Standard on 23rd November 2015 (Paul Cheston – Courts Correspondent).
Jamie Hulse, 47, died while on holiday at the Kasbah Tamadot hotel in the Atlas Mountains in July last year. His bike is thought to have tipped over. Lawyers acting for his widow Sally launched a claim against Virgin Limited Edition and Sir Richard. Julian Chamberlayne, of Stewarts, contacted the billionaire inviting him to agree an apology and compensation.
He said Sir Richard had offered his condolences but passed it on to his lawyers. It was understood that at the time, Virgin Limited Edition had argued that responsibility for safety remained with Moroccan excursion company KQS.
But now a settlement for an undisclosed payout has been reached. Mrs Hulse and her husband, a wholesale greengrocer, lived in St Albans with their three children and had been married 23 years.
She said: “We are please VLE has agreed to settle. Accidents like this should be avoidable but responsibility has now been taken.”
“While it comes too late for Jamie we hope that lessons will be learned from my husband’s death. The fact that we will be compensated fairly will at least mean we are financially secure for the future we face without Jamie.”
Mr Chamberlayne added: “While quad-biking may look like a fun holiday activity, they are powerful machines and things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. We are hopeful Jamie’s inquest will clarify the cause of the accident.”
Jon Brown, managing director of Virgin Limited Edition, said: “While none of this lessens the impact on Sally Hulse and her family, we sincerely hope a settlement without lengthy court proceedings will be of some comfort.”
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