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A former pupil is suing a public school after becoming permanently disabled following a drunken fall from a window.
Amy St Johnston suffers from partial paraplegia and walks with the aid of crutches.
She was 16 and studying at Oundle School, near Peterborough when she got drunk at a Valentine's Day ball and fell 15 feet from her first-floor window.
Miss St Johnston, now a 20-year-old classics student at Selwyn College, Cambridge, is demanding £300,000 damages from the school claiming a drinking culture fostered among its pupils was the primary cause for the 2005 accident.
Her writ, filed at the High Court said that the £22,800-a-year Oundle school failed in its duty of care by leaving her in the room while it was "known she was under the influence of alcohol".
It also states that the window she fell from opened to 12 inches, which is three times the legal maximum.
According to the writ, she said that before the ball she had consumed "a combination of alcoholic drinks".
When teachers noticed she was walking unsteadily, she was sent to "cool off", but the writ alleges she then returned to the ball.
Staff later confirmed she had been drinking and took her back to her room. Left there, the writ says, she leaned out of the window and fell.
Reader views (11)
12 inches is quite a small gap to 'just fall through'. Sounds like she wanted to get back to the party. Also, I would like to point out that while it may not be legal for a window to open to 12 inches now, when the building was built (I believe in 1991), it was legal for windows like these to open to 12 inches, and there is no obligation to ensure that windows installed prior to that maximum being enforced are modified.
- Sam Herdman, Bridson, Bucks, 31/07/2009 15:49
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Fell through a 12" window gap. Yeah, right! More like she was trying to get back to the ball, and being too drunk slipped/fell.
Even at 16 you know what excessive boozing does to your ability/balance/control..etc.
Was she hand cuffed and force fed the booze through a drip? No, thought not. Self inflicted & I have no sympathy.
- Dom, London, 31/07/2009 14:49
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Kick out the lawsuit? I think there should be criminal proceedings for attempted fraud. At the very least there should be a counter-suit for defaming the good name of the institution and possibly affecting future enrollment.
- Rogan, Irving, 31/07/2009 14:49
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Seems to me it should be the school who should be suing her for being a drunken madam who not only brought shame on the school but wasn't even grown up enough to admit it.Of course if she were an adult she would accept responsibilty for her own actions......I blame the parents...
- Mandy, London, 31/07/2009 14:49
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She should also sue her parents for sending her to the school, also sue the drunk manutactures, what about the window maker etc...
Tragic accident which was soley down to her! By the way its impossible for an adult of moderate size to 'fall' out of a 12 inch gap.
- Oscar, London, 31/07/2009 14:49
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"It also states that the window she fell from opened to 12 inches"
Hold on now, how tall is this girl? I would dispute that "she fell from the window", is it not more likely that she climbed through the foot high gap in the window, it's highly unlikely she fell sideways through a 12 inch gap.
We all been teenage and drunk and most of have done very stupid things whilst being there but none of us have tried to blame others for our own actions, grow up little girl.
- Bob, Cheam, 31/07/2009 14:49
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Grow up little girl. Just because Labour doesn't encourage people to take responsibility for their own actions, doesn't mean that you shouldn't.
I may end up with some liver complaint later in life because of drinking, however I wont be suing the drinks industry because of it.
I make my own decisions and take responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. That is what living in a free society is all about. A difficult concept to appreciate under the current political climate admittedly.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 31/07/2009 14:49
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Dear God, when will all this culture of suing other people stop. Did they force the glass to her lips? She wants someone else to pay for her stupidity. This writ should be kicked out court immediately.
- Lee, London, 31/07/2009 14:49
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Very sad case but the school should not suffer financially. This young lady must accept personal responsibility for her drunkenness. Too many young people blame others when it is up to them.
- Michael, Lymington Hampshire, 31/07/2009 14:49
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I think her parents should sue the school because despite paying a lot of money for them to teach her to grow up, clearly they didn't.
- Roz, France, 31/07/2009 14:49
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Seems a little odd to fall outside a window with 12" gap.
I agree with other comments. Seems like parents driving the issue as have guilt for sending daughter to boarding school.
Every time you cross the road is taking a risk.
- William, Bedford, 31/07/2009 14:49
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