But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare when just 15 minutes after picking up the vessel from a Hampshire boat yard, Mr Ward, 61 and his crew member John Innes were leaping for their lives, their clothes in flames, as the yacht exploded. Mr Ward, now of Woking, Surrey, and Ms Roads have taken out a writ seeking damages to include the cost of the boat at £269,000; surveyors and consultants’ fees of £25,000; forensic experts' fees of £9,136.67; storage costs of £3,935.31; and other expenses.
He then intends to take further action for damages concerning his injuries and psychiatric damage. Then, as they shivered in a life raft on a freezing cold February day, they watched in horror as the blazing boat, by now a ball of fire, sank beneath the waves. The pair were rescued by a lifeboat and rushed to Southampton General Hospital with serious burns.
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A spokesman for the Coastguard said: 'When we first saw the boat in flames from our air/sea rescue helicopter we were convinced nobody could have escaped alive. It is a miracle anyone survived.' Mr Ward and his partner Dawn Roads are now suing dealers MGM Marine Ltd, trading as MGM Boats, and Dun Laoghaire Yacht Services for more than £300,000. A writ lodged at the High Court claims the yacht was defective.
1 comment:
It doesn't matter if it's a £269,000 yacht or a £250 washing machine the difficulty is always in proving there was a defect. Unfortunately the onus is on the complainant to prove the goods were defective, it is not up to the supplier to prove the goods were OK.
One has to assume however that he did not have insurance. That being the case the question has to be asked, what sort of person pays over a quarter of a million pounds for a yacht and doesn't take out insurance?
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