Holidaymaker awarded £30,000
Posted: June 16, 2015
Posted in: Accidents and Sickness Abroad Finger Injuries
A holidaymaker has been awarded compensation of £30,000 (€40,000) after losing the tip of his finger on a poolside lounger. 72-year-old Vincent Reid, a retired construction manager, had been on holiday with his wife at the Hotel Savoy Palace, Lake Garda, Italy in August 2012 when the accident happened. The holiday company that Mr Reid booked the weeklong trip through, Topflight, was sued for £30,000 under the 1995 Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act in the Dublin High Court.
It was heard that the sun lounger was adjusted using the armrests on either side, catching in place at the desired angle. Mr Reid sat on the armchair on the 29 August when the lounger collapsed and his wife discovered him with blood pouring from his right hand. Mr Justice Michael Hanna believed that the company was directly responsible for the incident because the chairs immediately collapsed when the adjustable mechanisms were not in place. He said that the accident was “eminently foreseeable” and that the company was liable for negligence.
Not the first time
It was heard in court that it was not the first time that one of the chairs had collapsed and caused injury. A similar accident had happened a couple of days before Mr Reid’s fall at the same hotel.
Mr Reid received hospital treatment following the incident and had his finger in a splint for 12 weeks. He now suffers with permanent pain in his finger and doctors believe that he will never regain full movement. Mr Justice Hanna ruled that because of this permanent damage, he was entitled to £30,000 in compensation.
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