Public liability case results in £100,000 payout
A woman was awarded a massive payout in an extraordinary public liability case involving a nasty fall in a restaurant.
The elderly woman, who wishes not be named, was leaving a popular restaurant, walking down the stairs in order to exit the building. The woman, despite being in her eighties was in relatively good health for her age and able to get around without problems by herself.
However, as she left the restaurant, holding onto the handrail which ran along the length of the stairs, she suddenly fell as the handrail collapsed from under her arm. Disoriented by the sudden fall and slow to react, she then fell down the whole flight of stairs.
She was taken to hospital where she was found to have two broken ribs and a twisted ankle. She was also said to be in severe shock.
After the fall, she found it much harder to get out and about and became nervous in public places. Her injuries, although minor, took a long time to heal and made it much harder for her to get around.
Friends said that she was never the same after the accident and within a year of the fall she moved into a residential home, unable to cope on her own any longer. She decided to launch a public liability case against the restaurant, tracing the deterioration of her health and eventual move into the home from the accident.
Her doctor agreed that her move into a residential home was premature and was likely brought on by the devastating fall in the restaurant.
After a lengthy court case, the woman involved was awarded £100,000 in compensation from the restaurant for her injuries and mental anguish. Speaking after the compensation was awarded she said: “I am grateful to have won the case and been awarded this payout, but I will never regain my independence.”