When in July 2011 one of Virgin's hot air balloons sppoked a grazing horse, which injured itself and its handler a trial was started. Two years after the incident, Virgin agreed to a settlement, which required a judge’s approval as the claimant was a minor at the time of the accident. Jessica Fuller-Bray, now 17, was hand-grazing her Hanoverian near Chatteris, Cambs, when a hot-air balloon began descending towards the paddock. When the pilot tried to regain height, the noise of the gas scared the horse, which reared, broke free and jumped the post-and-rail fence before crashing into new arena fencing.
“Not only was damage caused to the property, but Jessica had a rope burn and sharp jolt to the shoulder,” said personal injury solicitor James Reilly of Ralli law firm, in Manchester. “This resulted in soft tissue injuries which warranted medical referral to an orthopaedic surgeon and physio.” The family submitted a claim for the vet bill, damage to property and personal injuries. Virgin agreed to a settlement of the injury claim. “The pilot returned to apologise directly after the flight and provided the requested details to enable a claim. We operate 1,500 flights a year and incidents of this kind are rare.”
© equnews.com/ Horse & Hound
When in July 2011 one of Virgin's hot air balloons sppoked a grazing horse, which injured itself and its handler a trial was started. Two years after the incident, Virgin agreed to a settlement, which required a judge’s approval as the claimant was a minor at the time of the accident. Jessica Fuller-Bray, now 17, was hand-grazing her Hanoverian near Chatteris, Cambs, when a hot-air balloon began descending towards the paddock. When the pilot tried to regain height, the noise of the gas scared the horse, which reared, broke free and jumped the post-and-rail fence before crashing into new arena fencing.
“Not only was damage caused to the property, but Jessica had a rope burn and sharp jolt to the shoulder,” said personal injury solicitor James Reilly of Ralli law firm, in Manchester. “This resulted in soft tissue injuries which warranted medical referral to an orthopaedic surgeon and physio.” The family submitted a claim for the vet bill, damage to property and personal injuries. Virgin agreed to a settlement of the injury claim. “The pilot returned to apologise directly after the flight and provided the requested details to enable a claim. We operate 1,500 flights a year and incidents of this kind are rare.”
© equnews.com/ Horse & Hound