Injury compensation claims

A teacher, who was left seriously injured by a welly-wanging contest, is reported to be seeking compensation of £5m.

Glennroy Blair-Ford was with pupils from his school as they went on a week long stay at an adventure centre in Devon back in 2007. On the day of the accident, staff and pupils were asked to take part in a mini Olympics event that was organised by the company that operated the centre, CRS Adventures Ltd.

One of the events of this mini Olympics was a welly-wanging contest. Whilst pupils were allowed to throw the welly normally, teachers were handicapped by being asked to turn around and throw the welly backwards between their legs.

As the design and technology teacher took his throw, he fell forward. He could not break his fall as his hands were between his legs, and he hit the ground. He suffered serious injuries in the fall, leaving him paralysed from the neck down. He now is confined to a wheelchair, and needs a ventilator for 23 hours a day.

The Metro reports that he is seeking personal injury compensation of over £5m from CRS Adventures Ltd. His legal team are arguing at the High Court that the way the teachers were instructed to throw the welly was unsafe. The swinging action used throwing this way, created a high risk of falling forward at a time when the hands were not in a position to break the fall, they argue.

CRS Adventures deny they are liable for his injuries, claiming that that the throwing method was not unsafe, nor did it present a foreseeable risk of injury.

If the case is successful, the compensation will cover the costs of his ongoing care.