GAP must pay €216,000 to woman hit on head by mannequin

GAP has been ordered to pay €216,000 to a woman hit on the head by a mannequin.

Former actress Elizabeth Ball was hit by a headless mannequin that fell off a shelf in the Vancouver store in September 1996.

Ms Ball claimed the incident aggravated a pre-existing neck injury, leaving her unable to work.

The company argued that she had disabilities which existed before the dummy fell on her.

Canada.com reports that company lawyers claimed that Ms Ball suffered memory impairment in a 1978 accident that was exacerbated by another in 1986.

In 1991 a chandelier at a lighting store fell and struck Ball on the head, causing her to lose consciousness.

Gap argued that this incident caused a possible skull fracture.

However, the Canadian Court of Appeal rejected the company's bid to overturn the award from the lower court.

It found that before the "Gap incident" Mrs Ball had been able to perform her job with Carousel theatre.