Woman awarded €30,000 for fall in centre

An elderly woman who suffered what a doctor described as “notoriously painful injuries” in a fall on a shopping centre’s down…

An elderly woman who suffered what a doctor described as “notoriously painful injuries” in a fall on a shopping centre’s down travelator has been awarded €30,000 damages.

Raymond Delahunt said in the Circuit Civil Court yesterday that a runaway shopping trolley had dragged Rosaleen Hill (79) to the ground, lacerating her knees and breaking her right shoulder in three places, on March 23rd, 2009

Co-defendants Dunnes Stores, Gary Smith, trading as The Ashleaf Shopping Centre, Cromwellsfort Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, and Kessow Ltd, which runs the centre, accepted that Ms Hill, a widow, Greentrees Road, Terenure, Dublin, had been caused to fall and hurt herself.

Paul McKeon, for Dunnes Stores, told the court the defendants were disputing ownership of or liability for a “rogue shopping trolley”. Judge Jacqueline Linnane dismissed the case against Dunnes.