An agreement has been reached on the legal battle between the Manor Formula One Team and the family of the late Maria de Villota. The terms of the agreement are confidential. The dispute is related to de Villota’s accident with the team in 2012.
While working as a test driver for the team, then called Marussia, de Villota was involved in an accident on July 3. After performing some straight-line speed tests at the Duxford Aerodrome in England, de Villota crashed into a stationary service truck. She was extracted from the car and taken to hospital with head injuries. After spending time in the hospital, de Villota was released. She had suffered a head injury, which resulted in the loss of some of their senses and caused headaches. She has also lost her right eye in the accident.
Just over a year after her nearly-fatal accident, de Villota died of cardiac arrest in her hotel room. Her death was later found to have been a result of the head injury sustained during her crash.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive was concluded in 2015. It was determined that de Villota had not received proper instructions on how to bring the car to a full stop, causing the anti-stall system to engage. No further action was taken against the Marussia team, leading the family of de Villota to start litigation against the team.
A joint statement from spokespeople from the Manor F1 Team and de Villota’s family confirmed that the two parties had reached an agreement on Wednesday, ending a lengthy litigation process.
