Flower Arranger Wins Compensation for Church Fall

A woman who sought compensation after slipping and falling on an ill-fitting church doormat has reached an undisclosed settlement.

The accident happened in 2007, when Margaret Graham, 78, was preparing flower arrangements for a Sunday service at the St Adamnan Episcopal Church in Kilmaveonaig in Perthshire. She had gone outside to throw cuttings on the compost heap and caught her foot in the doormat, which was a carpet offcut, as she was re-entering the church. When she tried to steady herself, her other foot became entangled in the mat and she fell forwards. She dislocated her shoulder and suffered tendon damage in the fall.

She was taken to Perth Royal Infirmary, where the joint in her shoulder was put back into place. She later had to have surgery to repair the damage to her tendons, as well as physiotherapy.

Mrs Graham made a claim for damages against the church and the landowner, originally seeking compensation of £30,000. In addition to the injuries she suffered, she claimed that she had been left with a considerable disability and also suffered from depression as a result of the accident.

The defendants had previously indicated that they intended to fight the claim. However, a settlement, the amount of which has not been disclosed, was reached shortly before the case was due to be heard in court.