the town of Guéret recognized as partly responsible for the death of a child on a playground

The Limoges administrative court ruled, Friday March 15, that the town of Guéret was partly responsible for the accident which cost the life of a young girl in November 2016. According to France Bleu Creuse, the town will have to pay 23,800 euros to his mother and his brother for damages of affection.

The case pitted the town of Guéret against the family of a 12-year-old girl. The child had fallen from a play structure at the Courtille pond. Victim of head trauma, she died a few days later in Limoges hospital.

Shared responsibility

The court found that the city of Guéret was responsible for this fatal accident. The padlock that closed the access gate was “regularly broken” and the city services knew “that the structure was used without supervision by children” without safety equipment.

However, the city’s responsibility is not complete because the victim did not take into account the signs which prohibited the use of this play structure without supervision or equipment. France Bleu Creuse explains that the City will have to pay 17,000 euros to the child’s mother and 6,800 euros to his brother, or 85% of the emotional damage they requested.