by Richard Craig
21 May 2011
A woman who injured her head and spine in a fall at her workplace could be in line to receive in excess of £1m compensation if she wins her case.
Sylvia Cheung, 56, was an employee of Pei Hui Zhu’s Yang Sing takeaway in Dovecot, Merseyside, in August 2008 when the accident occurred.
Mrs Cheung, who had finished her shift, slipped on a wet tiled floor as she was leaving the shop to return to her car, parked nearby.
Although she is still mobile, doctors expect her to suffer issues with various abilities in later life.
The High Court in London, to which the case has been taken, heard that there was neither a mat nor a wet floor sign in place at the time of the incident.
The shop’s proprietor, Pei Hui Zhu, told the Liverpool Daily Echo: “I am very stressed over the matter. I can’t understand how this lady has fallen on my floor.”
Judge Leighton Williams, while apportioning most of the blame to Ms Zhu, mentioned that he did not hold Mrs Cheung entirely absolved from blame, quipping, “rain is not unknown in Liverpool.”
The final award of damages is yet to be assessed.