Slip up prompts $1m suit

A WOMAN who slipped on a berry in a shopping centre food court has launched a Supreme Court damages claim for more than $1 million after suffering injuries described as severe as a car crash.

Emily Bodsworth is suing Australia Fair Shopping Centre and the centre’s cleaning contractors over the mishap in 2016 which left her with severe back, knee and psychological trauma.

Her lawyers say the centre’s logs show the food court had not been cleaned for almost an hour, despite protocol that cleaning should be done every 15 minutes.

Ms Bodsworth, now aged 38, was an elite athlete gearing up for the World Masters Games when she visited Australia Fair for a lunch break in March, 2016, only to slip on a loose berry, causing injuries that now have her seeking a $1.3-million damages claim which has just been filed with the Supreme Court.

In 2012, a similar case in NSW saw a woman awarded almost $600,000 after she slipped on a chip in a Woolworths supermarket.

Ms Bodsworth’s solicitor Amanda Gilmour said the incident had taken a ‘catastrophic’ toll on the talented athlete who now lived in constant pain.

“The fall that Emily took, through no fault of her own, has had a catastrophic impact on her life,” she said.

Ms Bodsworth’s lawyers allege she slipped on the berry and her left leg fell out from underneath her. Her right knee then hit the ground and took the full impact of the fall.

Ms Gilmour said the claim was a reminder to shopping centres and cleaning companies to maintain standards during the busy Christmas period.