''White v Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police'' was a 1998 case in
English tort law
English tort law concerns the compensation for harm to people's rights to health and safety, a clean environment, property, their economic interests, or their reputations. A "tort" is a wrong in civil, rather than criminal law, that usually requ ...
in which police officers who were present in the aftermath of the
Hillsborough disaster sued for post traumatic stress disorder. The claim was rejected by the House of Lords on the basis that none of the claimants could be considered "primary victims" "since none of them were at any time exposed to personal danger nor reasonably believed themselves to be so".
The decision could have been disposed of in the manner of
Chadwick v British Railways Board, where the rescuer may not have been in physical danger but was awarded damages due to his putting himself in the 'zone of danger', after the event. This was not followed and the "rescuers" category was thus limited in terms of people acting in the course of their job.
See also
*''
Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police
is a leading English tort law case on liability for nervous shock (psychiatric injury). The case centred upon the liability of the police for the nervous shock suffered in consequence of the events of the Hillsborough disaster.
Facts
''Alcoc ...
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References
External links
House of Lords judgment
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''White v Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police''
English tort case law
1998 in England
Hillsborough disaster
1998 in United Kingdom case law
English psychiatric injury case law