Compensation after a fall in Santa’s grotto

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A woman who fell over a plastic icicle at Santa’s grotto has been successful in her compensation claim for an injury to her leg. She had visited the grotto in a London department store with five members of her family. The elderly woman at the time was in the grotto, in which there were eight people in the small space and it was also dimly lit. The elf had asked the woman whether she could move sideways and backwards so that she was out of the range of the camera. She could not have seen anything at the time and it was not her responsibility to ensure there were no tripping hazards.

The grotto was four metres by three metres and was operated by two employees, one who was playing Santa and another who was an elf. They were both responsible for ensuring that there was nothing loose on the floor and that everything ran smoothly. She claimed that she had lost her balance after stepping on the icicle which was a Christmas tree bauble. The event management company who were the defendant’s claimed that there was no bauble on the floor to trip over.

It was asked if icicle was there to be fallen over, was it there to be seen. The icicle had been partially hidden behind a toy train which was on the floor. Even though there was a system in place of checking and it was carried out by Santa and the elf, as they had many other duties, it was possible that the elf was not as careful as they should have been on this occasion. The courts decided that if the icicle was there to be stepped on it was therefore there to be seen as well.

If you have suffered an injury from a slipping or tripping accident that was not your fault you may be able to claim for compensation. It is important that you get independent expert legal advice, preferably as soon as possible from one of our specialist lawyer.

If you think you may have a claim, or would like any further information, contact our specialist personal injury lawyers for immediate advice. Call Actons Solicitors free on 08081 355 355 or click here to start your claim now.

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