A leading furniture designer who went over a stair at the posh Chiltern Firehouse and suffered severe face injuries has sued the restaurant for more than £200,000 and denied that a bottle of wine he shared during the meal caused the accident.
David Salmon, 61, of Nacton, Suffolk, shattered his nose and teeth, fractured bone spurs in his neck, and sustained injuries to his knee, upper torso, and both shoulders as a result of the 2018 tragedy.
Mr. Salmon, who currently resides in Monaco, has also stated that the incident resulted in PTSD and a “microscopic brain injury underlying post-concussion-type illness.”
He holds the restaurant responsible for failing to post a “mind the step” notice in the men’s restroom.
The 61-year-old further said that because the step tiles were the same color as the lower floor, there was no indication of a change in level that appeared “two paces” inside the restroom.
Mr. Salmon is suing Chiltern Street Hotel Ltd for over £200,000 in damages, alleging negligence for failing to warn of the danger, failing to provide a handrail, and failing to “clearly demark the edge of the stair.”
Although the restaurant has taken “principal culpability” for the accident, court documents indicate that Mr. Salmon was partially liable for his fall because he was intoxicated at the time.
According to Chiltern Firehouse Ltd, Mr. Salmon’s alcohol use over lunch was a “contributing factor” to the accident.
David Salmon, 61, of Nacton, Suffolk, shattered his nose and teeth, fractured bone spurs in his neck, and sustained injuries to his knee, upper body, and both shoulders during the 2018 accident.
However, Mr. Salmon’s legal team “vehemently denies” that he was intoxicated when he fell, maintaining that he was sipping wine with his lunch.
His attorney, David Powell, stated in court filings, ‘While it is admitted that Mr. Salmon consumed a bottle of wine with an associate while on the premises, it is alleged that he did so with a meal and over a relatively long period of time.
‘According to his own description, he is a ‘large guy,’ and he was accustomed to consuming so much wine with his meals.’
Under the circumstances, he was not intoxicated. In actuality, the wine he had drunk did not impede his capacity to perceive and/or comprehend the step under the aforementioned conditions, and so did not contribute to the accident.
‘Furthermore or otherwise, because the premises was a restaurant providing alcoholic beverages, the defendant should have anticipated that some of its patrons would have drunk alcohol and may have been impaired.’
In such instances, the step and/or floor posed a higher hazard or trap and/or a larger foreseeability of injury than in establishments where alcohol was not sold.
Mr. Salmon, who currently resides in Monaco, has also stated that the incident resulted in PTSD and a “microscopic brain injury underlying post-concussion-type illness.” He holds the restaurant responsible for failing to post a “mind the step” notice in the men’s restroom. Pictured: The restaurant’s interior design
Mr. Salmon is a renowned furniture designer and manufacturer who honed his skills in the field of antiques restoration and while working for English Heritage and the National Trust before establishing a prosperous furniture business.
According to the website of his company, “David continues to make unique ideas for famous architects and interior designers worldwide, for private clients and the majority of the world’s royal families.”
Mr. Salmon’s lawsuit against Chiltern Firehouse Ltd was filed with the High Court earlier this summer, although the case has not yet been heard by a court.
According to Chiltern Firehouse Ltd, Mr. Salmon’s alcohol use over lunch was a “contributing factor” to the accident. Chiltern Firehouse in London’s West End is pictured