A Swiss man who slipped on a puddle of Baileys Irish Cream in the British Airways check-in area at London Heathrow has told a judge that he needs £5 Million after the accident caused his business to collapse.
Swiss Man Sues British Airways After Baileys Liqueur Accident In London Heathrow
Andreas Wuchner said that as he approached a British Airways check-in desk at LHR in 2017 to check in for his flight to Zurich (ZRH), he unknowingly slipped on a puddle of Baielys that BA had failed to clean up. The results, said Wuchner, were catastrophic. Unable to run his office supply business, it collapsed. This came as a direct and foreseeable result of BA’s negligence in failing to clean up a puddle of liqueur in a highly trafficked passenger area.
Wuchner claims to suffer headaches for two weeks at a time, which he directly blames on the accident. He is no longer able to concentrate and is prone to memory loss.
He was awarded £130,000 in 2021, which he accepted, but at that point, his legal team also said it would seek “special damages” that eventually ballooned to £5 Million
British Airways rejects that amount, arguing the Montreal Convention limits its maximum liability. A judge will consider whether the liability-limiting language of the convention applies to check-in counters (“upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking”).
BA further contends “there are significant factual disputes between the parties.” Specifically, it disputes that the accident caused Wuchner’s company to collapse (other factors may have been at play unrelated to the accident) and also disputes the numbers seeking to prove his company’s financial performance and projections.
The trial will include testimony from:
- orthopaedic surgeons
- neurologists
- pain management experts
- forensic accountants
CONCLUSION
A man is suing British Airways for failing to clean up the area around its check-in counter, which he claims led to an avoidable accident that has left him unable to work to his full capacity and led his business to collapse. Meanwhile, British Airways says the Montreal convention limits is liability in cases like this. A judge will now consider how much Andreas Wuchner can receive in compensation for the accident.
