Schools in Sussex are reportedly facing a wave of lawsuits from parents and visitors after a number of slips, falls and other accidents were reported.
In one claim, a school is being sued for £20,000 after someone walking on a carpeted corridor slipped on a sweet wrapper. In another, a pupil at a school in Crawley is pursuing £75,000 in compensation after falling from a climbing frame.
Other reported accidents include a parent who slipped during a primary school sports day fun run, a person suing for neck and back pain after being hit by a football and a £15,000 claim after a pupil got a splinter from play equipment.
In total, councils in the area are facing more than 100 claims and would have to pay out more than £1 million if they were all successful. Luckily, the council has the right professional insurance in place to cover the costs of such claims, however ludicrous, as a spokesperson from West Sussex County Council explained:
“The county council is covered by insurance against claims of this nature and all claims are properly and thoroughly investigated and considered on their own merits.”