You Couldn't Make It Up - No.2

Isabelle MacKenzie, 50, was out of work for eight months after injuring her shoulder in the fall outside the Co-op store in Fortrose, Ross-shire. The Co-op told Dingwall Sheriff Court that she was responsible for gritting the ice on which she fell at about 6:30am in 2002. It also claimed Mrs MacKenzie had been drinking the evening before and may have been unsteady on her feet. The Sheriff, Alasdair MacFadyen, ruled she was not intoxicated or unsteady on her feet. He said the Co-op had failed in its duty to ensure the entrance was gritted (by whom? is the obvious question) but added: "The accident was also caused partly by the fault of the pursuer (Ms MacKenzie) in that she failed to take reasonable care for her own safety." The worker won nearly £4,500 in compensation.

It’s great, she failed to take care of her own situation, it was icy and we all know that ice is slippery and so what will be the outcome? Memo from Co-op HQ.

‘Workers responsible for gritting ice in wintry conditions should only do so if the ice is not slippery and there's no chance of them falling over. If customers should fall as a result of the ice not being cleared they should be told that they should have taken reasonable care for their safety, but only if we had failed in our duty to clear the ice. Customers who decide to take reasonable care for their safety will possibly not be able to shop in our stores during inclement weather conditions, but no matter we all know that after a freeze there's a thaw and so people should not go hungry for long.