Bride Who Tripped After Bali Wedding Wins £40,000

A bride who suffered a shattered heel when she tripped over a poolside step within minutes of her wedding ceremony at a five star hotel on the holiday island of Bali has won £40,000 in compensation from the tour operator.

The woman's big day turned into a nightmare when both she and her husband tripped shortly after cutting their wedding cake. She claimed that the shallow step failed to comply with local safety standards and that hotel staff had failed in their duty to exercise reasonable care as they had not escorted the happy couple along a step-free ramp, which was the hotel's usual practice.

The tour operator, Premier Holidays Limited, pointed out that the hotel was regularly inspected by health and safety officers and there had been no prior accidents involving the step, which was negotiated by guests week in, week out. It was argued that a ruling in the woman's favour would impose an 'intolerably high burden' on hoteliers and the travel industry.

In upholding the woman's claim, however, the judge described her as a 'frank, compelling and reliable' witness and found that the unmarked step posed 'an obvious and foreseeable risk of danger' at night.

Premier Holidays Limited sought to challenge the ruling of the lower court. However, the Court of Appeal noted that it was for the trial judge to weigh up the evidence and, in the Court's view, the appeal had no reasonable prospect of success.

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