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04 November 2011 / Lucy Wyles
Issue: 7488 / Categories: Features , Personal injury
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Leap of faith

Lucy Wyles dives headfirst into the latest personal injury developments

As Mrs Justice Thirlwall DBE stated in a recent case, there is always risk in swimming and diving, in any pool. It is a sad fact that swimming and diving accidents can result in catastrophic injuries.

Doubtless as a consequence of this, the common law case law is peppered with seminal cases arising from swimming or diving accidents—examples include Tomlinson v Congleton Borough Council [2003] UKHL 47, [2003] 3 All ER 1122 on occupiers’ liability, Evans v Kosmar Village Holidays [2007] EWCA Civ 1003, [2008] 1 All ER 530 on the duties of a tour operator and Owusu v Jackson [2005] QB 801, [2005] 2 All ER (Comm) 577 on jurisdiction.

This article will examine two recent High Court decisions which follow this trend, in that they arose from such accidents, and in which fundamental principles of liability were considered. Both concerned the confines of the duty of care owed to a pool-user.

Grimes v Hawkins

The case of Grimes v Hawkins

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NEWS
A landmark Supreme Court ruling has underscored the sweeping reach of UK sanctions. In NLJ this week, Brónagh Adams and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper say the regime is a ‘blunt instrument’ requiring only a factual, not causal, link to restricted goods
Fraud claims are surging, with England and Wales increasingly the forum of choice for global disputes. Writing in NLJ this week, Jon Felce of Cooke, Young & Keidan reports claims have risen sharply, with fraud now a major share of litigation and costing billions worldwide
Litigators digesting Mazur are being urged to tighten oversight and compliance. In his latest 'Insider' column for NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School provides a cut out and keep guide to the ruling’s core test: whether an unauthorised individual is ‘in truth acting on behalf of the authorised individual’
Conflicting county court rulings have left landlords uncertain over whether they can force entry after tenants refuse access. In this week's NLJ, Edward Blakeney and Ashpen Rajah of Falcon Chambers outline a split: some judges permit it under CPR 70.2A, others insist only Parliament can authorise such powers
A wave of scandals has reignited debate over misconduct in public office, criticised as unclear and inconsistently applied. Writing in NLJ this week, Alice Lepeuple of WilmerHale says the offence’s ‘vagueness, overbreadth & inconsistent deployment’ have undermined confidence
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