Justice for Summerland:
In my latest book, The Smoke Clears; The Aftermath,??I included a chapter on the Summerland Disaster that occurred in Douglas Isle of Man on Aug 2nd, 1973.
The reason why this disaster resonated with me so clearly was that a year before this tragic event my wife and I spent our honeymoon on the island and spent most of that week enjoying what was at that time a state-of-the-art facility.
The tragic deaths of 50 holidaymakers and 100 others who were seriously injured during the horrific fire that engulfed the building have remained in the memories of survivors, family members and rescue workers for a lifetime.?
When I researched the incident to include in my book, it was in the belief that the incident may have been the result of inadequate building codes that might have been in existence at the time and that the tragedy itself would have spurred improvements to codes and regulations.?
I was wrong, had building codes and regulations that existed at that time been followed the severity of this tragedy may have been substantially reduced.?
The commission of inquiry identified several deficiencies including building materials used, architectural design, open staircases, inadequately trained staff and escape procedures: fire alarm system failures and locked emergency exit doors.?
Three young boys from Liverpool who had been playing with matches were the only ones who were held to account for their actions.?
One of the ongoing tragedies of this horrendous event was that in 1974 the inquest verdict of death by misadventure was handed down.?
A verdict of misadventure in English Law, as recorded by the coroners and on death certificates and associated documents is a death primarily attributed to an accident that occurred due to a risk taken voluntarily.?
Nobody who ever entered the Summerland complex could have ever contemplated the risk they were taking. My wife and I certainly hadn’t.?
Survivors and family members for years have struggled to come to terms with not only their loss but the injustice that was handed down by this verdict.??
A Justice for Summerland campaign group has been formed and on May 23 2024 a letter was sent to the attorney general of the Isle of Man requesting that the coroner’s verdict be reexamined.
I sincerely hope this group will succeed and that the original verdict will be overturned.
for further information visit: https://lnkd.in/gXce9BdG
Realtor at Equity Missouri, LLC
3 个月Best of luck