A Czech court ruled on Thursday that a British tourist who was seriously injured when a Christmas tree collapsed on top of him should receive 560 000 koruna (about R190 000) compensation.
British tourist Malcolm Tuffin suffered a fractured femur and injuries to his spine and chest when the 23m tree fell on top of him at a Christmas market in the centre of the city during high winds in December 2003.
Tuffin’s Czech lawyer said that the Prague court held the city council and the operator of the market responsible for his injuries. Both had previously refused to admit they were at fault.
”This is a victory,” lawyer Marie Cilinkova said, adding that it will open up the way for Tuffin to claim the remaining two million koruna that a local court last year awarded him in damages.
Tuffin, a commercial manager from southern England, spent weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries. He was still suffering head pains and having difficulty walking nearly two years after the accident, Cilinkova had said previously. — Sapa-AFP