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THREE years after a cable ski accident left him with serious head injuries and permanent partial disabilities, Mr Muhammad Noor Azri Abdul Rahman is taking his school and the ski operator to court.
The then-Secondary 4 Victoria School student was taking cable ski lessons as part of the school’s physical education curriculum when the accident
happened in March 2007.
He was skiing around the circuit at East Coast Park, holding on to a cable overhead, when he fell face down into the water while negotiating a bend.
The fall left him with serious head injuries, and needing seven operations, of which at least two were to reconstruct his skull.
A National Neuroscience Institute report filed with his suit said that Mr Muhammad Noor Azri now suffers from spasticity and weakness on the left side of his body. These injuries are permanent.
The 19-year-old, who is taking legal action through his father, filed a writ of summons against the school and the cable ski operator in March, claiming the accident and his injuries were caused by negligence on their part.
His claim against operator TT Leisure and the school includes their alleged failure to do a proper risk assessment, require protective headgear or helmets
to be worn, and provide competent personnel to supervise. He added the cable was moving “at an excessive speed”.
Mr Muhammad Noor Azri is seeking damages for loss of future earnings and for pain and suffering. He also wants almost $72,000 in medical expenses and $168,000 for employing a maid for 20 years.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), the legal representative of the school and the Ministry of Education, filed a defence saying the lessons were optional and the boy’s father had given consent.
His father also signed a form accepting all risks of injury and even death. It said the school had taken all reasonable steps to ascertain whether the activity
was suitable to be offered as part of the PE curriculum, and had even conducted a risk assessment.
The AGC added that Mr Muhammad Noor Azri had already been paid more than $26,000 by an insurance policy taken by the school. TT Leisure said it was following the International World Skiing Federation Cable Operating Handbook, which said it was not mandatory for those not doing jumps during skiing to wear headgear or a helmet. The company also said the student had suffered a stroke while skiing, resulting in his fall.
The teenager has stopped school and is mostly wheelchair-bound. The parties are expected to meet for a pre-trial conference on Nov 1.
