Trainee sues hotel over bar shutter accident

A trainee hotel manager is suing the Britannia hotel in Manchester after the metal shutters of a bar fell on her head. Since the accident, she has suffered headaches, neck pains and poor vision, and her hair has fallen out.

The accident happened in December 1999 when Ioanna Karanikola was preparing for a Christmas lunch. The bartender had not turned up so she opened the metal shutters over the bar herself. But because there were not enough padlocks to secure the shutters, they fell back down and struck her head.

Karanikola has spent almost £6,000 on medical treatment and has contracted alopecia, a dermatological complaint which causes hair loss. She believes that the hotel should pay for costs incurred as a result of the accident.

She said: "I wanted to settle out of court, but it's two years and they haven't paid anything."

The personnel manager of the 363-bedroom Britannia, Sue McCourt, said: "Everything is going through our insurers. These things take time."