Courts

Girl injured after running through glass patio door secures €100,000 settlement

Ruby Curtis was seven when she suffered injuries in incident during 2018 family holiday at hotel in Tenerife

The High Court heard glass in the patio door shattered into multiple pieces and left Ruby Curtis with lacerations to her left calf, left knee and right cheek. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
The High Court heard glass in the patio door shattered into multiple pieces and left Ruby Curtis with lacerations to her left calf, left knee and right cheek. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
Tue Feb 13 2024 - 18:05

A girl whose leg was seriously injured when she thought a patio door in a hotel room was open and ran through the plate glass has settled her High Court action for €100,000.

Ruby Curtis was seven when the incident happened on October 29th, 2018, while she and her family were holidaying at the Hotel Targoro-Family and Fun premises in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Through her mother, Niamh Curtis, of Broadfield Drive, Rathcoole, Dublin, she sued the hotel operators, Sucursal en Espana and Dreamplace Hotels and Resorts SL, and their insurers, Zurich Insurance plc. The defendants denied negligence.

Hugh Mohan SC, for Ruby, said his experts argued there should have been tempered safety glass in the door panels, but the defendants said there was no breach of standards as the hotel was built before the introduction of building code regulations.

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It was claimed that Ms Curtis booked a five-night holiday for some €1,100 with the hotel operators for the end of October 2018.

On the last day of the holiday, it was claimed that Ruby ran through a glass door leading to the patio in the bedroom of the hotel believing it to be open. The glass shattered into multiple pieces and caused lacerations to the girl’s left calf, left knee and right cheek.

She was brought by ambulance to a local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery and had to remain there for nine days before returning home.

Mr Mohan told the court that Ruby made a good recovery but was left with a visible scar on her calf. Ruby became very clingy and anxious following the incident but has thankfully been able to “put all of this behind her”, he added.

Mr Mohan said he believed it was an excellent settlement and the family was very happy with it. Mr Justice Paul Coffey approved the settlement and wished Ruby and her mother well.

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