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The next occasion you're on holiday and it's time to crack open a bottle of champagne, whether it's to celebrate a marriage, a graduation, a retirement or simply a well-earned break, it's worth remembering that that satisfying "pop" can result in serious injuries and potentially even a holiday claim.
Tamara Fountain, a clinical correspondent with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, comments, "A cork can fly up to 50 miles per hour as it leaves the bottle. Warm bottles of champagne and poor technique in removing the cork can result in serious, blinding eye injuries. Anything that travels with such momentum can have a devastating effect if it strikes your eye."
In fact, any corked carbonated drink can cause injury. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Modena, Italy, home of the sparkling red wine Lambrusco.
Dr Gian Maria Cavallini, a Modena-based doctor and member of the International Society of Ocular Trauma, understands this better than most. "Bottle cork injuries are relatively common here. Through a retrospective review of our cases, we have been able to evaluate the incidence, the seasonal distribution, and the anatomical and functional consequences of this type of trauma," he says.
Adding, "Bottle cork injuries are not as uncommon as we may think. In just our region (Emilia Romagna), 500 cases of ocular injuries due to bottle corks have been reported by 32 ophthalmologists to the National Association of Cork-injured Friends. This association is collecting data and putting pressure on the Ministry of Industry to enforce new regulations concerning the use of a special safety device inside sparkling wine bottles. Safety devices and labels warning of the potential dangers of bottle opening would hopefully help lowering the incidence of this type of trauma."
And it is not only traditional corks that pose a risk. State-of-the-art plastic corks actually travel at greater speeds and can cause more severe injury. Dr Cavallini comments, "They accumulate more kinetic energy at the time of bottling and have consequently a more explosive discharge."
Although, aside from the event of a manufacturing defect, it is unlikely that a person will succeed in claiming compensation if he or she has opened the bottle himself or herself, a successful holiday claim may be viable if the offending bottle has been opened by a waiter or another third-party.
Claim holiday accident compensation with leading UK solicitors
If you have sustained injury while on holiday in an accident that was not your fault, you may be possible to claim compensation.
YouClaim has many years of invaluable experience helping people do this. If, after speaking with one of our legal advisors, it is decided that you may be eligible to receive compensation, we can connect you with a no win, no fee solicitor who will guide you through your claim from start to finish.
Our service in this type of claim is completely cost free, win or lose. This means that we will ensure you are protected from liability for all costs and fees, including both ours and those of the opposing legal team.
And, since we only ever appoint solicitors that are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a branch of the Law Society, you are assured a professional service.
In addition, our 100 percent compensation promise is our guarantee to you that we will never take cut.
To speak to a holiday claim advisor today, fill out an online claim form, echat, or call us, on 0800 10 757 95.
