The creator of the Dreamspace inflatable artwork that killed two women when it broke free from its moorings in a park in Chester-Le-Street has been fined £10,000 for health and safety breaches. Maurice Agis was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court of breaching the 1974 Health and Safety Act; however he was not convicted of manslaughter as the jury in the trial failed to reach a verdict.
The inflatable artwork had been open to the public at a park in Chester-le-Street in July 2006. On the day of the accident, a combination of warm weather, windy conditions and a lack of mooring ropes led to the installation lifting off the ground, carrying away several people who were inside at the time. Two women aged 38 and 68 were killed and 13 other members of the public injured as the massive artwork was blown across the park, eventually coming to a stop when it crashed into a CCTV camera pole.
Mr Agis was not the only one to be fined at the hearing. The judge also fined Brouhaha International, the organisers of the Dreamspace tour in 2006, £4,000 and Chester-le-Street District Council £20,000. If Mr Agis failed to pay off the fine, then the judge warned he could face up to six months in prison.
The Dreamspace tragedy clearly shows what can happen when safeguards are not in place to ensure that members of the public can visit an attraction without being exposed to unnecessary risks. It is important that all large scale public events are properly supervised and that health and safety regulations are properly observed to avoid injuries and fatalities as occurred in this accident.
If you have been injured in an accident at a large public event and you feel that the organisers of the event were to blame, either through negligence, or because they did not follow health and safety regulations, then you may be able to make a claim for personal injuries compensation with Camps Solicitors.
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