Grandmother wins accident compensation claim against Santa

A grandmother has received injury compensation after falling in Santa's Grotto.

Joan Dufosse, a 73-year-old from Southampton, was visiting Father Christmas at the Selfridges store on Oxford Street with her two granddaughters when she tripped over a stray Christmas bauble.

Mrs Dufosse fractured her thigh and required major surgery to insert a plate into her damaged leg.

Following the accident, the grandmother put in a claim for accident compensation with the event management company Melbry Events Ltd, who were responsible for the grotto.

While her claim was initially rejected, after Southampton County Court ruled that because the bauble was not clearly visible Melbry Events could not have been expected to remove it, Mrs Dufosse appealed the decision.

Judges at the Civil Appeal Court finally ruled in the grandmother's favour and claimed that the incident was caused by Santa's negligence.

It is expected that Mrs Dufosse will receive somewhere in the region of £30,000 in compensation.

All companies are responsible for protecting customers against all possible foreseeable risks and failure to do so will lead to prosecution.

Published by Kevin Round