A man who claims he broke his ankle after allegedly slipping on a wet floor in Copper Face Jacks nightclub in Dublin city has sued for damages in the High Court.
Colin McNamara, a bar manager, was in the nightclub after attending an Ireland soccer match at the Aviva Stadium three years ago. He said he was in a basement bar when the accident happened.
“The wet floor caused me to slip and fall. I turned to walk but I ended up on the floor,” he told Mr Justice Michael Hanna.
Mr McNamara (36), Sycamore Avenue, Rathbane, Co Limerick, has sued Breanagh Catering Ltd, with offices at Harcourt Street, Dublin and the owners of the nightclub Copper Face Jacks as a result of the incident on October 9th, 2015.
He claims he slipped on a wet floor which represented a slipping hazard to patrons. He claims there was a failure to take any or any adequate steps to clean and dry the floor surface. It is also alleged the floor was allowed to remain wet and slippy and that it represented a danger to patrons.
Assessment
The claims were denied and the court was told judgment in the case had been entered in default of appearance and the case was before the court for assessment of damages only.
In evidence, Mr McNamara said bouncers came and picked him from the floor and brought him out to a back alley where a member of staff tended to his leg, looked at the ankle and told him it was not broken.
Mr McNamara said he was told they could not ring for an ambulance and he “hobbled away” and got a taxi back to his hotel. He said he was in a lot of pain that night and when he got back to Limerick he went to hospital where he was told he had fractured his ankle.
He later had an operation on the ankle which involved a plate and screws being inserted in it. He was out of work for 20 weeks in all and also had to use crutches for eight weeks, he said.
Mr McNamara said he has been left with a scar on his ankle. At weekends, when he works long shifts, his ankle swells up afterwards, he said.
The case continues on Wednesday.