Wedding guest who ‘slipped on petals’ sues hotel
A WOMAN who claims she slipped on flower petals on a hotel dance floor two hours after the bride threw her bouquet at a wedding reception has sued in the High Court.
Ann White told the High Court she was attending the ‘afters’ of a work colleague’s wedding reception at the Aherlow House Hotel, Co Tipperary, when she claims she fell on the dance floor, fracturing her wrist and arm.
The 53-year-old child-care worker told Mr Justice Kevin Cross there was a “serious scrum” of about 20 single girls for the bride to throw her bouquet at 12.30am. A number of hands pulled at the bridal bouquet of pink and white roses and there were petals all over the dance floor.
Ms White said she later got up on the dance floor at about 2.30am and her right foot skidded.
A WOMAN who claims she slipped on flower petals on a hotel dance floor two hours after the bride threw her bouquet at a wedding reception has sued in the High Court.
Ann White was attending the ‘afters’ of a work colleague’s wedding reception at the Aherlow House Hotel, Co Tipperary, when she claims she fell on the dance floor, fracturing her wrist and arm.
The 53-year-old childcare worker told Mr Justice Kevin Cross there was a “serious scrum” of about 20 single girls for the bride to throw her bouquet at 12.30am.
A number of hands pulled at the bridal bouquet of roses and there were petals all over the dance floor.
Ms White said she later got up on the dance floor at about 2.30am and her right foot skidded. She said she looked down and saw rose petals.
A friend, she said, went to grab her but she had a “massive skid” and fell backwards and hit her head off the floor and also heard a crack. She said she skidded on rose petals while she was wearing stilettos, she said they were normal heels for age 50-plus.
“I got a shock. The pain was so bad, I could not talk, I could not move my arm,” she added.
Ms White (53), of Highfield Grove, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has sued Aherlow House Hotel Ltd, with offices at Limerick city, over the accident six years ago in the hotel, which overlooks the Glen of Aherlow.
She has claimed that hazardous material was permitted to be on the floor and there was an alleged failure to take adequate care of visitors. The claims are denied. Ms White’s counsel, Aidan Doyle, told the court a full defence had been lodged and the hotel side claims the incident was an unfortunate accident and was not foreseeable.
Counsel also said the hotel has claimed the bride, by throwing the bouquet, was the “wrongdoer” and the case should have been brought against her.
Counsel said Ms White was not suggesting the bride was the wrongdoer and her case is that there was a varnished floor which had petals on it for up to two hours.
Ms White was transferred by ambulance to hospital. She had surgery to her arm and was in plaster for seven weeks, and has been told she has to live with a pain syndrome.
“My arm is painful every day. I find it hard to dry my hair and I can’t wear jewellery on my left hand,” she said.
She added that she used to love to knit for her grandchildren, but can’t do that now.
Counsel for the hotel, Jeremy Maher SC, put it to Ms White that she was not half as badly injured as she says she was.
Ms White replied: “You are wrong. The pain I have is real. It is there every single day.”
The case continues.