Injured Emirates Palace guest seeks Dh70m compensation in UAE court appeal

British woman injured by falling wardrobe panel at Emirates Palace hotel seeks more compensation in court appeal after an earlier verdict granted her Dh200,000.

ABU DHABI. MAR18.Emirates Palace Hotel.(for archive).(photo by Stephen Lock / The Nation)
Powered by automated translation

ABU DHABI // The British tourist who says she was injured by a falling wardrobe panel in her hotel room has increased her compensation claim from Dh20 million to Dh70m.

Natalie Creane claims she suffered brain damage and epileptic seizures after the 2.2kg panel fell on her head at the Emirates Palace hotel in 2008.

Her lawyer told the Civil Appeals Court yesterday that her compensation needed to be increased by Dh50m because her medical condition was deteriorating.

Mrs Creane’s original claim was for physical and emotional injury, and for her medical bills.

The Civil Court had awarded her Dh100,000 for health damages and Dh100,000 for emotional problems, but dismissed her claim for medical expenses on the ground that she had not presented any bills to prove the cost of treatment.

At the earlier hearings, the hotel argued that Mrs Creane had been able to continue her life as normal after the accident, and used pictures of her wedding from Facebook to counter her claims.

It said the wardrobe panel could not have inflicted the injuries she claims because it weighed so little, and dismissed the effects on her health as “a figment of her imagination”.

The case was adjourned to April 30.

hdajani@thenational.ae