Woman sues pub for £4 million

A woman is suing a London gastropub for £4.2 million after sustaining injuries when she tripped over a rope.

The interior of The Westbourne, Notting Hill (Photo: The Westbourne)

Carmen Mazo tripped in the beer garden of The Westbourne in Notting Hill and badly fractured her wrist in 2009.

In 2013 she was awarded £156,871 after the pub operators admitted liability, but Mazo now claims that was a “fraction” of what she deserved as the accident has destroyed her career and left her with unsightly scars and arthritis, as well as having a “devastating” impact on her mental health and social life.

According to the Guardian, Mazo says she would expect to earn £700 a day as a human resources consultant, but the accident caused her to leave her career and any return to work now would mean starting at the “bottom of the ladder” if she retrained for a new job.

After the fall she was off work for months and then gave up her job completely three years later.

She is quoted as saying: “The fact that I have been left with major scarring on my wrist, which to an unsympathetic observer might look like I am prone to self-harm, is very distressing for me… My career has always been my refuge to block away unpleasant circumstances in my personal life, but now I am finding that because of a bartender’s irresponsibility I could end up with no career or purpose in life.”

She added that she now finds herself “easily irritated” and prone to mood swings.

At a county court hearing, judge Heather Baucher rejected her claim to £4.2m finding the injury was not serious enough to justify ending her career.

However, Lord Justice Laws has ruled she is “entitled” to have the loss-of-career claim examined in court.

A date has not yet been set for the hearing.