Surgeon sues for £10m over trembling hand from snow mobile crash
Supercar holiday firm accused
A TOP neurosurgeon left with a trembling hand after a snowmobile crash on an adventure holiday organised by UK supercar firm McLaren is suing for more than £10million.
Dr Andrew Cannestra, 53, a £1.6million-a-year spine specialist, suffered serious head injuries in the accident in Lapland. He and his partner went on a £23,000 four-night break booked through the Pure McLaren Arctic Experience in 2020.
The doctor – understood to be American – had a guided snowmobile trek as part of a package which included driving McLaren cars on ice.
But the surgeon said he crashed into a tree at up to 40mph soon after climbing on to the Lynx Xtrim snowmobile for the first time.
Blame
Dr Cannestra is suing McLaren Automotive Events Ltd – which sold the polar thrills package – for over £10million. He claims he will be forced to retire in the next few years due to the impact of the injuries he suffered. But lawyers for the company, based at the McLaren Group’s HQ in Woking, Surrey, deny liability, insisting that the local guide did his utmost to ensure the snow trek was safe.
They also suggest that Dr Cannestra was partly to blame in failing to take sufficient care. London’s High Court heard that the Florida-based surgeon and his partner signed up for theArctic Circle holiday in February 2020.
The Pure McLaren Arctic Experience sees guests drive McLaren supercars on a frozen test circuit in Ivalo, Finland, alongside other activities. In court documents, Dr Cannestra’s barrister Neil Block KC says that the snowmobile tour was provided by local operators Luxury Action Oy. He and his partner had been the only guests taking the tour, having missed out on an earlier group excursion and were provided with a personal guide each.
Mr Block said Dr Cannestra’s accident followed an initial 15-minute trial ride through trees with his partner during which they hit speeds of 30mph. Disaster struck after his guide allegedly then took Dr Cannestra on a solo jaunt after telling him he was “doing well” and they should “go off together and have some fun”.
He crashed as his vehicle cruised at around 40mph, according to his barrister, and after losing sight of his guide due to poor sunset visibility.
Mr Block said: “Dr Cannestra had lost sight of (the guide) due to the increasing gap between them and consequently was unaware of the second of the series of left-hand bends or the short straight section of track on the approach to it.” Lawyers for the surgeon say the accident was caused by a failure to ensure the track was clearly marked out and to ensure a proper safety briefing.
They also claim the guide was at fault in riding too far ahead and that he turned the setting of Dr Cannestra’s snow buggy into a relatively advanced mode although the medic was a novice rider.
Mr Block said: “As he entered the second bend he lost control of his snowmobile and veered off the track into deep snow, and then into collision with a tree. As a result of striking the tree he sustained serious injuries.”
These included a head injury that caused him to lose consciousness and suffer a brain haemorrhage.
Mr Block said the surgeon later experienced problems with “word finding, comprehension, memory and fatigue”. He also sustained an injury to his left knee, but the most lasting impact was on his ability to work and his mental functioning.
The lawyer said before the accident Dr Cannestra had been diagnosed with a “benign” essential tremor in the hands which was very mild in form, was “well controlled by occasional doses of medication”, and allowed him to perform a “full range of neurosurgery”.
But his snowmobile injuries mean he now needs “significant” medication to quell the tremor.
Mr Block added: “But for the accident there would have been a very slow progression of the tremor which would have been controlled by modest increases in medication. His work would not have been affected. In contrast the prognosis now is that within five years Dr Cannestra will have to cease working.”
Guidance
Matthew Chapman, for McLaren Automotive Ltd, told the High Court the company insists the local guide did his utmost to ensure the snow trek was safe. It also alleges contributory negligence on the part of the doctor.
Mr Chapman said the “core” of McLaren’s case on liability for the crash is that the “guidance and instruction” provided to Dr Cannestra was adequate. He added that the company intends to enlist expert witnesses to testify on standards of reasonable care and skill.
The High Court case is not scheduled to be heard until next year.
The trial could last up to eight days, taking in an array of expert witnesses about snowmobile safety and judgment of local terrain.