News

Judge considers £6 million negligence claim

By Jennie Slevin
December 19, 2012

A top judge is re-evaluating negligence claims against Bracknell events company Corporate Leisure (UK) Ltd.

An ex-RAF man at London’s High Court is battling for £6 million compensation for debilitating injuries he received during an It’s a Knockout-style fun day.

Robert Uren was beginning his Royal Air Force career when he was paralysed after diving head-first into a shallow blow-up pool in the July 2005 at RAF High Wycombe.

Opening the case on Monday, December 10, Mr Uren’s counsel, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, told the judge he must decide whether the ‘social value of the game’ outweighed the rights of Mr Uren to be kept safe.

Sir Geoffrey claimed risk assessments carried out before the event were ‘defective’ and argued that had proper assessments been carried out, it would have been ‘relatively easy’ for the event commentator to issue safety instructions to competitors.

Despite the pool never having been used for a game of this nature before, photos of the event revealed that participants were ‘encouraged’ to dive in head first.

Two years ago Mr Uren, from Camborne, Cornwall, had his claims against Corporate Leisure (UK) Ltd and the Ministry of Defence rejected, but the decision was overturned following an appeal and the case is now being heard again by new judge, Mr Justice Foskett. Corporate Leisure and the MoD deny all liability in the case and insist that ‘the game, as played, was safe’.

The hearing continues.

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I'm all for compensation claims when there is clear liability and negligence, and I can't abide those who moan about Health and Safety 'gone mad' - but what about personal responsibility for ensuring one's own welfare and safety?

Did this gentleman not undertake his own evaluation of the risks? If it was too shallow to dive into safely - why did he? You don't just undertake risky behaviour on someone else's say so. That's like standing in the middle of of the M4 and performing the hits of Abba through the medium of dance because someone told you it was safe.