Families of Dead & Wounded U.S. Servicemen can "Sue" for Damages in the Bush Regime's &quo

British soldiers sue Pentagon

$2.3m claim after military police and interpreter injured in crash

Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Saturday November 13, 2004
The Guardian

Three British soldiers and an army interpreter are suing the American military after their vehicle was rammed by a US tank transporter in Iraq.

The $2.3m (£1.2m) suit is the first against the US army from coalition troops since the invasion of Iraq. It seeks to exploit provisions normally reserved for Iraqis claiming compensation for family members wrongfully killed in US raids.

The Britons, members of a Royal Military Police unit on duty with their Kuwaiti interpreter, suffered serious injuries on May 7 last year when their Land Rover was struck twice from behind by the hulking transporter.

The vehicle spun out of control and off the road, somersaulting into a sand dune. All four passengers were hurled out of the vehicle, and the Land Rover was wrecked.

Two of the Britons - the driver, Corporal Jane Mc-Lauchlan of Hartlepool, and her commanding officer and front seat passenger, Staff Sergeant James Rogerson - received lasting injuries.

Cpl McLauchlan suffered multiple skull fractures, and a punctured lung and liver. She still has some degree of permanent brain damage, including memory loss.

Sgt Rogerson, a veteran in the RMP who has served in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, received head and spinal injuries.

In court documents, he complains of lasting back and arm injuries that could prevent him from pursuing a lucrative post-army career as a security expert.

Corporal Stephen Smith and Khalid Allahou, an engineer with the Kuwaiti oil company who had volunteered as a translator, were sitting in the rear of the vehicle. They were also wounded.

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