€56k award for businesswoman who fractured ankle in hotel fall

A 69-year-old business woman who suffered a triple fracture of her left ankle after she slipped and fell in the Herbert Park Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, has been awarded €56,250 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke said he was satisfied the entrance hotel floor had been impeccable and maintained to the highest standard, but Delia Manning should not have been allowed to enter the hotel through the emergency exit doors without a mat.

Judge Groarke said engineering evidence showed the floor became slippery when moisture was carried in under people’s shoes. He said there was no mat at the emergency doors to trap any potential moisture.