Grandad broke hip in shopping mall fall

A GRANDFATHER broke his hip after allegedly tripping while Christmas shopping at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, the High Court has heard.

Michael Harty, 63, from Kilconly, Tuam, Co. Galway, was in Dublin with his family for their annual pre-Christmas trip, which was set to involve a visit to Santa the following day.

But Judge Michael Hanna was told that his foot caught on a two millimetre high grey rubber expansion strip between the floor tiles at the shopping centre, and he fell to the ground.

Mr Harty’s counsel, Marcus Daly SC, observed: ‘The smaller the trip hazard, the harder it is to see.’

The case was settled for an undisclosed amount shortly after it was opened by Mr Daly.

He had told the court that Mr Harty, a director of a haulage company, had fractured his hip in the fall, in the early afternoon on Saturday, December 8, 2012.

He was taken to the emergency department of Blanchardstown hospital ‘in excruciating pain’.

Medics initially tried to treat the injury with a hip screw, but the procedure was not successful and he underwent a full left hip replacement in February 2013.

Counsel said Mr Harty was wearing ordinary ‘gentleman’s lace up shoes’ and claimed that the raised expansion strip was a hazard to shoppers.

He said Green Property Ltd, trading as Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, had denied that there was any trip hazard present in the area.

The defendant also claimed that Mr Harty had failed to take reasonable care for his own safety.

After a pause to allow discussions between both sides, Mr Daly informed the court that the case had been settled.