Switalskis personal injury experts have recovered five-figure compensation for a guest at an exclusive country house wedding. Whilst enjoying himself at the evening wedding party, he was injured when he slipped on the dance floor where a drink had been spilt.

Negligence of the wedding venue

Our solicitors argued that the wedding venue failed in its duty of care by not monitoring guests to prevent them from taking drinks onto the dance floor and by failing to place warning signs. The venue's negligence created a hazardous environment, leading to our client's injury.

Details of the incident

During the fall, our client twisted his left ankle. He was taken to the emergency department at the hospital, where an X-ray revealed a fracture. He required open reduction and internal fixation surgery and was hospitalised for several days. With the aid of physiotherapy, his symptoms have largely resolved.

Liability and witness testimony

Despite the wedding venue's denial of liability throughout the claim, witnesses confirmed that the venue had no policy to prevent drinks from being taken onto the dance floor. They also observed that staff did not intervene to stop this behaviour or clean up spilled drinks. Notably, a small sign was placed at the bar area after the accident, warning guests not to take drinks onto the dance floor. We argued that it was reasonably foreseeable that spills would occur and that the dance floor would become slippery and dangerous.

A five-figure settlement was agreed  in an out-of-court resolution.

Katrina Elsey, senior associate in the personal injury team, commented:

“All venues inviting members of the public to their premises should have basic procedures in place to ensure spillages are cleaned up quickly. Policies or procedures should be in place to ensure visitors and guests are not at risk of slipping and injuring themselves. Sadly, in our client’s case guests were freely taking drinks onto a dancefloor which put other guests at risk of injury.  

"I hope that wedding venues and other establishments learn valuable lessons to prevent accidents like this happening again in the future. What should have been an enjoyable time for my client turned into a great deal of pain and inconvenience”.

At Switalskis we are dedicated to ensuring justice and compensation for personal injury victims. If you’ve been injured due to negligence, contact us for expert legal advice and support. Call us on 01302 320621 or email help@switalskis.com.