Boots facing £100k public liability lawsuit over baby injury

The leading retail chain Boots is facing a claim for £100,000 in compensation after a rolling pin fell from its third floor window and fractured the skull of a baby below.

Mother Claire Burns, 32 from Fife, says that the incident occurred on a shopping trip to Dundee in 2008. She and her father, Henry Howieson, had gone inside the store whilst grandmother Margaret Howieson remained outside with 20-month old baby Alyssa, who was in her buggy at the time.

At this point, a rolling pin fell from a window of the Boots store and hit Alyssa on the head, which caused a fracture to her skull.

Ms Burns is now seeking £100,000 in damages from Boots for the injury, as well as for the distress and alarm caused as a result of the incident. Furthermore, Mr and Mrs Howieson are also pursuing the retailer for £20,000 each for the distress and other mental symptoms caused to them as a result of the incident.

Boots has admitted liability for the baby’s injuries, and is likely to use its public liability insurance to cover any compensation payout. However, it is fighting claims by the mother and the grandparents, claiming that they are “secondary victims” and that people in that category are not liable to claim for damages.

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