Woman loses her £650,000 injury claim after being seen tossing Christmas tree
A woman who was pictured winning a Christmas tree tossing competition, loses her £650,000 claim for injuries she allegedly suffered after a car accident.
Kamila Grabska, 36 from Ireland claimed that she was unable to work after she was injured resulting from a car accident, but after being shown photos of her participating in a Christmas tree tossing competition, the claim was thrown out by the judge in Limerick.
Mrs Grabska, who tried to sue an insurance company, had claimed that injuries to her back and neck meant she was unable to play with her children, hindered her from lifting heavy shopping bags and unable to work for more than five years.
The married mum from Ennis, County Clare, told doctors her injuries left her with a “disabling” condition after the accident, which happened on 3rd February, 2017 and had to quit her job following the crash.The injury claim amounted to £649,967 (€760,383).
Mrs Grabska went on and claimed that at times her husband had to bring medication to her in bed, which she could not leave for half of the day due to the pain she was suffering, but the court heard that just a few days before she had informed doctors of her terrible condition, she had come first in a charity Christmas tree throwing event.
The photo was subsequently published in a national newspaper and, while Mrs Grabska argued that she was still suffering from her injuries, Justice Carmel Stewart dismissed her claim in part due to the “graphic nature” of the image.
During the hearing, further evidence was also submitted, which showed footage from November last year showing Mrs Grabska training her large dog for over an hour in a park. She denied the suggestion that she had faked her injuries, telling the court that she was simply “trying to live a normal life,” the Irish Independent reported.
Ultimately, the judge dismissed her case, ruling that Mrs Grabska’s behaviour after the collision was “completely at odds” with the claims she had made in relation to her injuries.