Page 36 - Touchline27

AT RISK

AT RISK

AT RISK is the regular feature which highlights recent news
stories about some of the accidents, injuries and legal disputes
that occur in the sport and leisure world. Risk is present in our

everyday lives even when we are playing sport and having fun.

Here we report some of the more tragic and bizarre events that
lead to loss, injury and sometimes even death in our industry.

information to Miss Maylin to enable her to make herself
CLAIM FOR £300K DAMAGES DISMISSED safe”, said her barrister Catherine Foster.
FOR WOMEN SUFFERING FRACTURED “They had a basic duty to inform her of the risks
DISC IN CLIMBING CENTRE ACCIDENT associated with the activities she was likely to be
undertaking, as well as basic cautions which could be
A woman who broke her back falling from a rock climbing taken to control such risks”.
wall lost her claim for £300,000 in compensation at a However, in a judgment by Judge McKenna, the
judgment handed down in March. personal injury claim failed as the risk of falling during
Emma Jane Maylin, 29, plummeted 14 feet from a wall such activities was inherent and obvious and the centre
and landed on her backside, fracturing a disc in her back was not under a duty to provide training or supervision.
and spending two weeks in hospital. The centre had also taken sufficient steps to draw the
She was on her third date at the XC climbing and skate claimant’s attention to the risks inherent in the activity.
park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, but it was her There were at least two notices warning users of the
first time trying out bouldering, which is a form of rock bouldering wall that matting did not make it any safer and
climbing. at least one notice that spelt out that sprains and broken
Miss Maylin was suing the Dacorum Sports Trust, limbs were common.
which runs the climbing centre, for allegedly failing to
provide her with basic safety training.
She told the High Court she was off work for six
months following the accident, on January 11, 2014, and POLICE MOTORBIKE CAUSES CRASH
had to cancel a family holiday to Dubai. IN STAGE NINE OF GIRO D’ITALIA
She now struggles with driving, exercise and wearing
high heels because of the injury, and says she has Britons Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates saw their hopes
suffered from post-traumatic stress and depression since of Giro d’Italia victory disappear after a police motorbike
the fall. caused them to crash on the ninth stage, which was won
“Dacorum Sports Trust failed to provide basic safety by Nairo Quintana.

36 | TOUCHLINEMAGAZINE.COM