The family of Jules Bianchi will be taking legal action on three Formula One parties which they believe are responsible for the death of their son. Stewarts Law, a British law firm, will be acting on behalf of the family in the legal actions.
Bianchi was a Formula One driver who had raced in 34 Grand Prix events. He suffered massive head injuries after colliding with a mobile crane that was recovering the Sauber of Adrian Sutil during the extremely wet 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. After spending many months in a coma at the hospital, Bianchi passed away from his injuries.
An investigaton into the accident found that there were many factors which had contributed to the fatal accident. The family will reportedly be suing the FIA, the Marussia Formula One Team and the Formula One Management Group run by Bernie Ecclestone. There are no details about the case or any future cases at this time.
The FIA is the organization responsible for governing the sport and enforcing the regulations. Prassummably, the FIA is being held accountable for the safety issues during the event which played a role in the accident. This probably includes the danger of having a crane on the circuit and the fact that the conditions were not ideal for racing.
The Marussia team has since went bankrupt and has been purchased and rebranded by a different owner. Some of the team personnel from the accident have left the team. It’s unclear whether this lawsuit will be aimed at Manor or at the original team owners. After the accident, it was discussed that there may have been faulty parts of the car which may have played a role in the accident. The family may wish to hold the team responsible for this.
The Formula One Management Group is the rights holder to the sport and deals with all of the broadcasting rights. It isn’t clear at the moment why the family wishes to hold FOM responsible, but the company can have a large influence on the race, regarding whether to race in wet track conditions, because they are in charge of broadcasting.
Jules Bianchi has been the first Formula One driver to have been killed during a race since Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. There was a lengthy criminal trial against Williams and some of the team personnel in that incident as well. Of course, there are a number of waivers included with a drivers contract, so these may limit or nullify the liability of the three parties in question.
However, no financial outcome from this case will change what happened at the Japanese Grand Prix, nor will it bring back Jules Bianchi. This is a loss that the family and their loved ones will be forced to live with for the rest of their lives and nothing can change that.
