A HONG KONG cabby has been awarded HK$10 million ($2m) in damages after a fall in a restaurant left him paralysed from the neck down.

The ruling was passed by the Hong Kong High Court yesterday, after it found the restaurant owner guilty of negligence, reported Apple Daily.

The accident occurred in April 2001. The victim, Mr Zhan Chang Sheng, 55, had gone to the restaurant with his wife, daughter and a friend for dinner.

The restaurant was crowded, so the group were given seats on the second floor. After dinner, as he was leaving, Mr Zhan slipped from the top of the staircase and fell 10 steps to the bottom. The severe fall caused him to slip into a coma.

Due to his severe spinal injuries, Mr Zhan was paralysed from the neck down with no chance of recovery.

UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT

Restaurant owner Weng Bai Hua, 62, was found guilty of not taking safety measures in his restaurant.

The staircase was found to have been slippery with vegetable juice at the time of the accident. There were also stacked boxes along the staircase, causing the 2m-wide staircase to be even narrower.

There were also no warning signs posted near the staircase to caution customers.

Mr Weng was found to have insufficient insurance for his eatery.

He was also accused of aggravating Mr Zhan's spinal injuries, when he moved the cabby from the staircase to the back alley to wait for the ambulance.

In his defence, Mr Weng accused the victim of drinking prior to the accident. But the court found that Mr Zhan was not drunk at the time of the fall, and ordered Mr Weng to pay HK$12m.

As Mr Weng had already paid Mr Zhen HK$2m earlier, the sum was reduced to HK$10m. Mr Weng told Apple Daily later that he could not pay as his business shut down in 2005. He also claimed that he and his wife have been living on welfare ever since.

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