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The U.K. High Court has ruled in favor of Shane Byrne on the 47-year-old's lawsuit against the BSB organizers following the crash that ended his career. On May 17, 2018, the six-time British SBK champion was conducting a test at the Snetterton circuit, riding the Ducati Panigale of the Paul Bird Motorsport team, when he crashed at Turn 3 and slammed into a tyre barrier placed at the edge of the track, suffering major injuries.
Protections deemed insufficient by Byrne, who decided to sue the BSB organizers, MotorSport Vision Racing, MotorSport Vision, owner of the circuit, and the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board for damages. According to BBC reports, in the judgment handed down Friday, Judge Peter Blair found the entities liable for the 47-year-old's injuries, which were "materially caused" by the collision with the barrier.
Although the defendants and their lawyer Malcolm Duthie argued that the protections present were sufficient and that the "substantial and real cause" of the injuries was the British champion's riding, the judge agreed with Byrne's lawyer Kiril Waite. According to him, in the curve where the accident occurred, there should have been a type A protection, or an airfence, to cushion the impact, and not a type D protection, such as the bolted tyre barrier against which Byrne and his motorcycle impacted, after the vehicle left the track at a speed of 97 km/h.
Indeed, Judge Blair ruled that it was "negligent not to have realized that Type A protective devices were required on the outer barrier at Turn 3," and that Byrne "was not the author of his misfortune and was not contributorily negligent," as the rider "did not sustain any serious injuries as a result of jumping clear of his motorcycle and tumbling towards the barrier. The impact with the barrier, however, materially caused the infliction of his injuries. Each of the defendants is responsible for the injuries sustained by the claimant."
The amount of compensation will be determined at a later date.
