ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

An Irish woman has been awarded 28,000 euros in compensation after she fell off the toilet in her own home. Isabela O'Sullivan was injured when a tile fell close to her while she was using the toilet of her Dublin home in September 2011. She got such a fright that she fell forward, injuring her right knee.

Barrister William Martin Smith told the The Circuit Civil Court that O'Sullivan, only weeks before the accident, had her bathroom re-tiled following a fire at her house. She sued the contractor who had been hired by her insurance company to carry out remedial work. The contractor denied liability for alleged negligence.

But forensic engineer Barry Tennyson sided with O'Sullivan, saying the tile had fallen because of "poor workmanship" and the possibility that improper adhesive had been applied to it.

X-rays showed that O'Sullivan had an underlying degenerative condition in her knee, the report said.

The judge accepted O'Sullivan's account and awarded her 25,000 euros in damages for pain and suffering, along with 2,500 euros for replacing the tiles and expenses of 350 euros.