Lamma ferry crash survivors reach partial settlement, Hong Kong court hears
But parents of two children who perished in the 2012 tragedy have not settled their future loss claims
A bereaved family that lost two children in the 2012 Lamma ferry collision has settled two of its four compensation claims with the owner of one of the boats, the High Court heard on Friday.
Kwok Yin-tang and his wife Wong Yee-yi, who both survived the disaster that claimed 39 lives, reached an unspecified settlement with Hongkong Electric in respect of their personal injury claims.
But future loss claims relating to their daughter Laura Kwok Leung-ying, 4, and son Matthew Kwok Man-hei, 3, who were both killed in the crash, remain to be settled.
The family of four was among the passengers aboard the Hongkong Electric-owned vessel Lamma IV, which ferried company employees and their families heading to see the National Day fireworks in Victoria Harbour but collided with the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry catamaran Sea Smooth.
In total 39 people, including eight children, died in the crash, which resulted in criminal prosecutions and dozens of civil lawsuits.
Lai Sai-ming, captain of the Sea Smooth, was convicted of manslaughter and endangering the safety of others at sea. He was jailed last year for eight years. Chow Chi-wai, who was at the helm of the Lamma IV, was jailed for nine months for endangering passengers’ safety.
On Friday, the High Court heard that a claim against Hongkong Electric made by Lo Tak-cheung on behalf of his mother Chui Lin-ho, 66, who died in the crash, also had yet to be settled.
The firm said more than 100 cases out of around 130 claims it faced had been settled.
