Personal Injury Solicitors

An office worker who was badly injured after a seagull attack outside the building where she worked is suing the landlord of the building, alleging that it did not take enough care regarding her health and safety.

Cathie Kelly, 59, lost her footing and fell after the seagull swooped down on her as she left her office in Renfrewshire in Scotland for lunch. Mrs Kelly was heading to a burger van nearby in June 2010 but was attacked as she left the building.

Mrs Kelly said she could not see through the front door as it is stained glass, but a gull flew straight at her and towards her face as she left for lunch. She shouted at the bird but had to retreat into the building to protect herself.

However, in her haste her shoe came off and she stumbled on the steps of the building. Mrs Kelly was winded in the subsequent fall and suffered pains in her chest and thigh as a result of the impact. She was unable to return to work for two weeks as a result. She also had to sleep upright as a result of the pain after the incident – and required frequent painkillers and help with daily chores such as shopping.

After returning to work at CVS Inverclyde, Mrs Kelly used an umbrella to protect herself from further seagull attacks.

The court heard that other office workers were forced to protect themselves with umbrellas – and car companies in the area had taken to flying helium-filled balloons above their garages to protect cars from the gulls and their droppings.

Patrols of hawks and owls to control the seagull population had been stopped,
The Court of Session in Edinburgh was told – and a nearby rubbish tip acted as “a magnet” for scavengers, including the local seagull population.

The office building where Mrs Kelly works is a former school and birds nest on the roof. At breeding times when chicks are being reared they become aggressive the court was told. The court also heard the gulls nested behind the towers near the front door to the building – and on the day of the attack a chick had fallen from its nest, Mrs Kelly learned from colleagues.

When she raised concerns with the building’s management company about the seagulls, they allegedly responded by saying that Mrs Kelly was partly responsible for her injuries as she had not been looking where she was putting her feet.

Mrs Kelly could be awarded as much as £7,000 if she wins her case, the Daily Mail reports.

The building’s landlord Riverside Inverclyde (Property Holdings) denies liability.

The hearing continues.


Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors

Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise those injured as a result of accidents which are the liability of another party how to make a no win no fee claim for compensation, including:

• Accident & Injury at Work Claims


• Accidents in Public Places Claims


• Office Staff Injured at Work Claims


• Public Liability Claims


• Slip and Trip Claims.

Claimants have three years from the date of the incident or injury to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

For expert legal advice on making a no win no fee claim for personal injury compensation contact Duncan Lewis solicitors on 020 7923 4020.