A British couple on holiday in Majorca are demanding £220,000 in compensation after a traffic sign fell on their child’s head. They are seeking the money due to the injuries he suffered when they were staying in the Magaluf area.
Calvia council disputes the claim and says it will offer just €809 (£709). This would cover the costs of the hospital visit and the taxi fare. A judge will rule on the dispute and determine the amount to be paid. The incident occurred during the peak tourist season of 2022. The family was staying at a hotel in the Calvià leisure area. Around 11pm, the parents and their child were returning to the hotel.
As they were walking along the sidewalk, the base of a traffic sign suddenly broke and struck the child on the head, knocking him to the ground, according to Diario de Mallorca.
The parents called an ambulance and due to the nature of the injury and the child’s condition, it was decided that the most prudent course of action was to take him to a hospital. At the hospital he underwent tests and a thorough examination.
In the end, the injury was not as serious as initially thought, as the blow only caused a bump on his head, without any other internal damage. The doctors determined that the boy did not need to stay in the hospital and was allowed to return to the hotel. The parents had to pay the medical bill, which came to €779 (£683).
Following the accident, Calvià police arrived at the scene and drew up a report on what had happened. The officers interviewed a witness and then the child’s father.
The dad confirmed that he had previously noticed that the sign, which indicated a pedestrian crossing, was leaning, but that at the moment his son passed by, it broke and struck him.
The same version of events was detailed by the first witness, an employee of the hotel who happened to be outside the establishment at the time of the incident. The worker pointed out that the sign had been leaning for a long time and there was no warning signage.
The police also verified the poor condition of the sidewalk, as it had several raised areas. This would explain why the sign was leaning and later broke at its base, causing the young tourist’s accident.
After the police report, the municipality’s maintenance services carried out urgent repairs on the sidewalk where the accident occurred.
The parents of the injured child initially filed a claim with Calvià council, which has an insurance policy to cover this type of accident.
The authority acknowledged its share of the blame, since it was its responsibility to keep the sidewalk and traffic signs in good condition. However, the council is not willing to accept the compensation claims of the British family, which amounts to €250,000 (£219,000), claiming no medical evidence has been presented of serious injury.
Advisors say the visitors are entitled to receive compensation for the accident involving the traffic sign but not as high as claimed. They recommend just reimbursing the hospital bill and the taxi fare.