A High Court injury compensation settlement has been agreed between a Tipperary hotel and a Clonmel woman after she slipped on petals on a hotel dance floor almost two hours after the bride had thrown her bouquet during a wedding reception
The specific details of the settlement are to be kept confidential and presiding Judge Kevin Cross was told the case had settled and could now be struck out.
Plaintiff Ann White, who lives at Highfield Grove in Clonmel, told the court she was celebrating at the afters of a work colleague’s wedding at the Aherlow House Hotel in September 2012. She slipped on some petals on the dance floor, fracturing her wrist and arm.
Ms White, a 53-year-old child care worker, told the Court that had been a “serious scrum” of about 20 “very enthusiastic” women when the bride threw her bouquet at 12.30am. As a number of ladies pulled at the bridal bouquet of pink and white roses, petals came off and were spread all over the dance floor. Ms White said she decided to dance at roughly 2.30am and her right foot skidded on on the rose petals. Ms White told the Judge that she was wearing stilettos but is is used to doing so.
Due to the injuries Ms White had to have surgery and told the court that she still experiences pain in her arm on daily basis. The Aherlow House Hotel refuted Ms White’s claims, arguing that it was an unfortunate accident which was not foreseeable by the hotel management or staff.
Mr Justice Cross congratulated the parties on reaching the settlement and added that he was very glad to hear it as, in the event of the court making a decision it was open to appeal, which he said taking the scarcity of judges into account would have taken a long time.