Australian tourist who hurt leg in National Museum sues in High Court

An Australian tourist who slipped and rolled down a marble stairs at the National Museum of Ireland injuring his leg has sued in the High Court.

Warren Baldwin was in Dublin on the trip of a lifetime to Europe with his wife Tanya when the accident happened, tearing a tendon on his right leg.

His counsel Aidan Walsh SC instructed by Liam Moloney solicitor told the court it was their case the polished marble steps of the staircase dating back to 1890 were “quite slippery”.

Mr Baldwin was moving from the main balcony area down the marble steps in the Kildare Street, Dublin museum when his leg slipped on the second or third last step and he fell on to his side and rolled down the rests of the stairs to the floor. He was transferred to hospital where he spent overnight on a trolley before being examined.

It was found Mr Baldwin had partially torn a tendon which runs from the knee to the hips, and was given a brace and crutches to help him when he flew back to Australia a few days later.

Warren Baldwin (70) who lives in Revesby, just outside Sydney, New South Wales has sued the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin as a result of the fall on June 5,2016.

He claimed there was an alleged failure to provide adequate lighting, signage and an alleged failure to provide adequate supervision of the main balcony stairway.

He had further claimed there was an alleged failure to provide adequate hand railing and that the steps had been allegedly permitted to become unsafe and were polished smooth from wear and allegedly did not have adequate anti-slip nosing.

The claims are denied and the Museum contends the stairs are free from defect and there was one handrail. It also contends there was contributory negligence on the part of Mr Baldwin, who it was claimed was rushing to descend and was not paying attention.

The Museum also says more than 470,000 people visited the National Museum in 2016, the year of the accident and Mr Baldwin was the only person who fell on the marble stairs.

In evidence Mr Baldwin told the court he and his wife had spent one and a half hours walking around the museum and were leaving when the accident happened.

"I put my foot on the edge of the stairs. My foot slipped, I went to my side , I hit the step and I rolled down. I heard a loud crack; I thought I had broken a bone," he said.

When he got back to Australia, he said he had to have a surgical procedure carried out on his leg and also had to have 10 weeks of physiotherapy.

The case before Ms Justice Bronagh O’Hanlon continues tomorrow.