Yesterday came news that one of the ‘tourist attraction’ funiculars closed since the Glória tragedy six months ago would be reopening next month. Today comes the much more relevant information that the compensation process for victims of the tragedy and their families has still not been concluded.
“The proceedings are currently at different stages of settlement, depending on the nature and clinical evolution of each situation: in some cases, compensation agreements have already been reached; in others, we are awaiting receipt of the legal documentation necessary to formulate a compensation proposal,” an official source at Fidelidade, the insurance company of municipal funicular operator Carris, has told Lusa news agency.
The Glória funicular – very popular with tourists in the centre of Lisbon – derailed on September 3, with one of the two cabins crashing violently into a building, causing 16 deaths and more than 20 injuries among Portuguese and foreign nationals of various nationalities.
“A total of 40 victims were recorded”, said Fidelidade’s source, stressing that “active and ongoing monitoring” of the victims and their families is being maintained, “ensuring settlements of claims in accordance with applicable legal terms”.
The source said that “in several situations involving victims with physical injuries,” the process is “still in the medical-legal consolidation phase,” and it is necessary to wait for clinical stabilisation for a definitive assessment of any disabilities and subsequent calculation of compensation.
“Out of respect for the privacy and protection of the victims’ personal and clinical data, Fidelidade does not comment on individual situations,” the source added.
Without providing specific details on compensation already provided to victims, the Fidelidade source said that, to date, duly proven expenses covered by the applicable insurance policies have been secured and settled, namely medical, hospital, pharmaceutical, travel, repatriation, funeral services and other expenses resulting from the tragedy.
Fidelidade also stated that it will reimburse the costs of other insurers that have advanced expenses under health insurance, work accident and/ or travel insurance contracts, with these calculations “still in progress”.
Recalling that the insured capital contracted with Carris is €50 million, Fidelidade’s source said that “full settlement of the claim will be conducted in accordance with the law, with technical and human rigour, regardless of the time required to complete each case”.
In this context, Fidelidade has set up an independent technical committee to “ensure the specialised assessment of personal injuries and the validation of the respective compensation quantification, reinforcing transparency, fairness and trust throughout the process”.
In response to Lusa, the municipal public transport operator Carris, whose sole shareholder is Lisbon city council, said that it has been in contact with the victims and/or their families, in addition to the work being carried out by the insurance company Fidelidade.
According to Carris, “the internal investigation, external audits and close collaboration with the investigation conducted by the GPIAAF (Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents) are ongoing”.
Lusa requested an interview with Carris president Rui Lopo – appointed three months ago after the resignation of Pedro de Brito Bogas – and asked Lisbon city council for an update on the situation, but says it is “still awaiting a response”.
Pedro de Brito Bogas resigned following the conclusions of the GPIAAF interim report, which revealed that the cable connecting the two cabins of the Glória funicular, which broke, did not comply with specifications and was not certified for passenger transport.
Lusa has also questioned lawyer Ricardo Serrano Vieira, who represents MNTC – Serviços Técnicos de Engenharia, Lda, an external company contracted by Carris and responsible for maintaining the Glória lift, who indicated that the case is ‘still under investigation by the public prosecutor’s office.’
Reading between the lines, there is a lot more to come down the line in this appalling tragedy that took so many lives, and catastrophically affected so many others.
Source material: LUSA
