Occupiers Liability – Trip
The client was a 67 year old male. He was a lawful visitor to a snooker club. Having spent some time in the snooker club one afternoon he was leaving the premises. The club was located on the 2nd floor of the building and our client had to walk down a set of stairs to reach the exit.
He was about five stairs from the bottom when he caught his foot on a raised metal edge at the front of the step. He fell and ruptured his quad tendons in his left leg. He attended hospital and underwent a course of physiotherapy treatment together with home exercises. The medical evidence confirmed he suffered symptoms from the injury for a period of 12 to 18 months
The Defendant insurers admitted primary liability subject to a reduction for contributory negligence for the consumption of alcohol prior to the trip. This was disputed and the claim settled on a full liability basis.
The client had a claim for some items he had purchased together with care provided by his wife. The claim for special damages was pleaded at £2,300.00. The Defendant’s first offer was £6,400.00, comprising £1600.00 for special damages and £4,800.00 for general damages. This was rejected and a second offer of £10,300.00 was made by the Defendant, comprising £1,800.00 for special damages and £8,500.00 for general damages. The claim was finally settled for a global sum of £10,800.00.