A fatal accident inquiry into the Glasgow bin lorry road accident is due to begin on 22 July and will look into a number of issues such as the relevance of the driver's medical history and his fitness or otherwise to hold a licence.
During the preliminary hearing, which began at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday it was stated that the inquiry will also examine questions related to the functionality and safety of the vehicle itself, the route it took on the day of the road accident and, importantly, how it came to pass that six people were killed, with a further 10 sustaining serious personal injury.
"The issues fall into three categories which are firstly around the driver of the vehicle, his medical background, his fitness to hold the licence, his employment record and training," said Solicitor General Lesley Thomson QC, who is charged with leading the inquiry.
"Secondly the vehicle itself and the technical aspects, if there could have been any measures or interventions to have brought that vehicle to a controlled stop.
"And thirdly the safety of the refuse collection route taken by the motor vehicle. In relation to that I would intend to explore not just the route but the time of week and the time of year and assess the appropriateness of that route at that time of year."
Lawyers representing the families of the killed and the injured were also present for the pre-inquiry hearing and it is likely that once the July inquiry has been completed there will be numerous significant claims for road accident compensation in relation to the tragic crash.
