Plaintiff Seeks Damages from Cape Town Casino in Electrocution Case

A case involving a popular casino in Cape Town, South Africa, has seen the parents whose child was electrocuted near an ice rink secure a qualified win in court.

On August 5, the Western Cape High Court ruled that SunWest International, which operates the GrandWest Casino, is indeed liable for damages for gross negligence.

The story goes as this: the family whose daughter visited in January 2020, along with her parents, was left near an ice rink. At one point, the child was electrocuted by an exposed wire, with paramedics responding promptly to the scene.

The child was holding onto a metal pole and watching the skaters in the ice rink when she screamed and started shaking, at which point the father saw the burnt marks across her palms.

Casino Admits Fault, Child Makes Full Recovery

Upon arriving at the scene, the floor manager supposedly told staff not to disconnect the wire as a damage report would need to be conducted first, based on the lawsuit.

The casino, however, testified truthfully. A GrandWest engineer admitted that the leftover wires had not been removed, hence why the girl was electrocuted in the first place. The good news is that the child made a full recovery after being transported to the hospital.

While admitting fault in the matter, the GrandWest Casino sought to fight the charges of gross negligence, arguing that it had posted signs that warned visitors about the venue’s safety protocol. The judge, however, ruled that this did not mean the casino could bear no or lesser responsibility.