Now insurers tell grandmother whose £20K Hyundai was wrecked in Luton airport car park fire ‘it’s NOT her fault’ and agree to pay out after initially offering £7K compensation
- Was YOUR car damaged in the fire? A nd have YOU not received an insurance payout? Email [email protected]
A grandmother offered just £7,000 compensation after her £20,000 Hyundai was wrecked in the Luton airport car park fire will now get a full payout after insurers u-turned and said the blaze was ‘not her fault’.
Cath Glaze’s motor was one of more than 1,400 destroyed during the devastating October 10 inferno, which was so intense it caused part of the parking facility to collapse.
Initially, insurers judged the heartbroken grandmother to be ‘at fault’ for the destruction of her beloved seven-year-old car, with the firm offering her £7,000 in compensation, she said.
But after Cath pushed back against the ‘unfair’ decision, the company has flipped its stance, telling her in an email it will now be ‘settling all claims in relation to the fire that was in Luton Airport car parks as ‘non fault’,’ reports the Mirror.
‘We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience and to advise you that we are doing everything we can to settle your claim as soon as possible,’ the company – which has not been named – added.
Was YOUR car damaged in the fire? And have YOU not received an insurance payout? Email [email protected]
Cath Glaze (pictured) has been left without a car to pick up her grandchildren or get to work after blaze at the multi-storey car park on October 10
Police confirmed a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for the October 10 fire that destroyed more than 1,400 vehicles at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2
Cath is not the only holidaymaker battling to get money back for their cars following the devastating fire in the £20million car park
The news comes as police announced a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for the fire, which was declared a major incident and attended by more than 100 firefighters.
READ MORE: Drone images show charred remains of Luton airport car park destroyed by terrifying inferno – as around 100 vehicles are removed from £20m multi-storey to stop it collapsing
Speaking previously, Cath said the whole experience had been ‘very traumatic and upsetting’, adding the loss of her car meant she couldn’t go shopping or help out with her grandchildren.
She added: ‘We bought our car new, have had it serviced regularly, and weren’t planning to change it for the foreseeable future, as it’s been a very reliable car and has low mileage. We now don’t have access to a vehicle.’
Cath said she had been ‘upset’ about the insurance firm’s original decision and claimed the company refused to give her a courtesy car.
‘They’re putting it down as our fault as they’re saying they can’t claim on a third party. It doesn’t seem fair, not at all,’ she said.
The insurer’s change of heart will come as good news for other holidaymakers battling to get money back following the inferno at the £20million car park.
Sarah Scott was told her vehicle was covered in rubble after it collapsed. To make matters worse, the motor was ‘priceless’ to her, since she got it from her late father.
Sarah told MailOnline: ‘The car was the only one I felt really connected to. We’d been on holidays more than with any other car we’ve owned.
‘We went to France with it, just a couple of months ago, the first ever trip in my own car abroad. It’s the only car I’ve remembered the registration number to.
Sarah Scott (pictured with her husband Darren) was told her vehicle was covered in rubble after the car park collapsed
Sarah told MailOnline: ‘The car (pictured) was the only one I felt really connected to. We’d been on holidays more than with any other car we’ve owned
‘The fact that we had a car that my dad loved so much and liked to come out in, especially being the last car he went in, means it holds precious memories.
‘My mum shunned a funeral car for my dad’s funeral, as she wanted to go in the car that he loved.’
Efforts are still underway to remove 100 of the cars from the top level of the structure, which experts fear may be too fragile to stop collapsing.
The partially-collapsed structure is filled with debris and broken metal beams, with vehicles lying on their side, appearing as if they could fall through the floor at any moment.
It comes as aerial video today showed how mangled cars with melted frames, charred roofs and missing windows are dotted around the ruin of the Terminal 2 Car Park that saw 1,400 go up in flames.
Photos showed maintenance workers assessing cars that could be salvaged before placing them on trucks.
Meanwhile, owners of the vehicles still trapped now face an anxious wait to see if their cars can be saved.
Shocking new drone footage has revealed the wreckage of the Luton Airport car park after a blazing inferno ripped through the multi-storey building two weeks ago
Mangled cars with melted frames, charred roofs and missing windows are dotted around the ruin of the Terminal 2 Car Park that saw 1,400 go up in flames on October 10
On Saturday Neil Thompson, operations director the airport said: ‘Having worked with our engineers, experts and insurers, we are getting closer every day to making a final decision on what is going to happen to the car park and the vehicles contained within it.
‘Working with our structural engineers, we now plan to remove around a hundred cars from the top deck of the car park for the purposes of stabilising the structure. Once removed, these cars will be stored in a safe compound and we will contact customers and work with insurers to inform them of the process of recovery for those cars. Only then will it be possible to assess the condition of those cars.
‘For all other vehicles in the car park, the assessment remains largely unchanged which is that no cars can currently be accessed or removed from the car park. The structure remains fundamentally unsafe and the adverse weather over the last few days hasn’t helped.
‘We would like to thank customers for their ongoing patience and understanding as we work our way through this complicated and challenging situation.’
The 12-hour emergency prompted the cancellation of 235 flights, blighting 40,000 passengers.
Airport bosses added they had passed on the details of 1,405 cars, understood to have been in the parking facility at the time, to the Motor Insurer’s Bureau.
It comes as police said a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for the fire.
Cranes are removing cars from the top floor of the multi-storey car park
Cranes were seen lifting cars out of the the four-storey building
Around 100 cars trapped on the top level of Luton Airport car park have been removed in a bid to stabilise the burnt structure
The man, who was arrested the following day, was released on bail as Bedfordshire Police continue its probe into the devastating inferno.
Flames that rapidly spread through the car park caused a partial collapse of the structure.
Initial reports suggested that the fire start accidentally due to a fault with a vehicle. Bedfordshire Police said the investigation is ongoing.
‘A force spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Police arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of criminal damage in connection to their investigation into a significant fire in a car park at London Luton Airport on Tuesday (10 October).
‘We are carrying out a thorough and diligent investigation into all potential lines of enquiry, as should be expected after such a major event. The man has been released on bail while our enquiries continue.’
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