Dunnes Stores worker sues company over checkout fall

A Dunnes Stores worker who hurt her knee after tripping over a cable as she got up from a checkout has sued the company in the High Court.

Sinead Maloney, who has worked for Dunnes for 17 years, told the court the issue of cables hanging down under checkout counters was previously raised at health and safety meetings.

Ms Maloney (35), of Castlebawn, Naas, Co Kildare, is suing Dunnes Stores (Newbridge) Ltd as a result of the incident at its Newbridge store on May 16th, 2012.

Mr Justice Bernard Barton was told that, following Ms Maloney's fall, the cables at the checkout were tidied up.

Ms Maloney has alleged failure by the company to ensure the cables were properly secured and that the cables were allowed become loose, constituting a trap.

Dunnes Stores has denied the claims.

It has also pleaded that Ms Maloney was the author of her own misfortune, had failed to look at what she was doing and had failed to bring the fact of any loose cabling to the attention of Dunnes Stores.

Evidence

In evidence, Ms Maloney said her foot got caught in the wire as she left the till area to either go on her break or help a customer.

She said she then tripped and banged her knee against another part of the checkout.

She later went to her GP with a pain in the knee and had to have a surgical procedure on it. She still has pain in the knee, she said.

She would not be looking at her feet when she was at the checkout as she would be serving customers and watching the cash, she said.

She said she did not return to work until May 2015,

Cross-examined by Hugh Mohan SC, for Dunnes, Ms Maloney said the first thing she knew about the wire under her checkout was when she tripped over it.

Mr Justice Barton will give his judgment in the case next week.