Holiday accident leaves woman with back injuries
A woman has lost her High Court battle for compensation after she was left unable to work following a holiday accident. Zoe Jay, aged 30, was holidaying in the Caribbean when she was crushed by a falling catamaran mast, leaving […]
A woman has lost her High Court battle for compensation after she was left unable to work following a holiday accident. Zoe Jay, aged 30, was holidaying in the Caribbean when she was crushed by a falling catamaran mast, leaving her with back injuries. Since then, Ms Jay has not been able to work, and finds it difficult to look after her young children.
Ms Jay suffered shock, and underwent 12 hours of surgery for her injuries; she still suffers from back pain. However, the Bristol High Court judge ruled in 2006 that Thomson, the holiday company Ms Jay had taken to court, were not responsible for the falling mast.
‘Defective’
The 80ft mast snapped, falling onto the deck and trapping Ms Jay, when a change of weather put the mast under strain. Despite the claim that Thomson should have carried out more stringent safety checks, the judge said that the accident was caused by a manufacturing defect in the mast. The court ruled that Thomson could not have detected the fault in their routine safety checks, and no compensation was awarded to Ms Jay.