THREE soldiers injured in a fatal helicopter crash have won their legal fight for compensation from the Ministry of Defence.

The soldiers could get up to £300,000 each for injury, loss and damage following the incident in Hudswell Grange, near Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, in August 2007.

Christopher Hamilton, John Falconer and Dahrll Duncan, all from Scotland, were forced to leave the Army on medical grounds.

Flight Lieutenant David Sale, 28, from Norton, near Stockton, died in the incident, along with Sergeant Philip Burfoot, 27, and 17- year-old Army trainee Private Sean Tait.

Nine other military personnel were injured when the £20m Puma plummeted to the ground.

Mr Hamilton, 19, of Kirkcaldy, Fife, fractured his shoulder and broke his foot, while Mr Falconer, 21, of Buckhaven, also Fife, dislocated his shoulder, suffered stomach cuts and a serious head injury.

Mr Duncan, 19, of Turriff, Aberdeenshire, broke his back.

He was also concussed, suffered multiple jaw fractures, a dislocated hip and lost several teeth.

Richard Watts, from London-based Seth Lovis and Co solicitors, which represents the three soldiers, said: “Liability has finally been accepted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

“We will not know the level of damages until the orthopaedic, psychological and other assessments have been carried out.”

Mr Watts said the soldiers had begun receiving treatment, which he expected the MoD to pay for.

Mr Hamilton’s mother, June, 54, last night welcomed the MoD’s acceptance of liability.

She said: “It has been three years now since the crash and it’s difficult to describe how much this has affected Christopher, John, Dahrll and all of the families involved.

“It has had a massive impact on us all and we are just looking for things to be resolved as soon as possible.”

The Ministry of Defence confirmed it had accepted liability and said negotiations were under way regarding the level of compensation.

A spokesman added: “The MoD will pay compensation when it’s legally obliged to do so.”

The nine-page writ claimed that the helicopter, which went into service in the early Seventies, was poorly maintained.

The pilot also misjudged the speed and altitude of the aircraft while carrying out low-flying manoeuvres, it is claimed.

An inquest held last year found that the pilot was attempting a manoeuvre beyond his capabilities.

Coroner Geoff Fell said the fatal accident took place near Catterick Garrison, in August 2007, against a backdrop of “deteriorating administration, airmanship and discipline”.