watson v british boxing board of control 2001 case
I do not believe that the evidence admits of any accurate answer to this question but that is by no means an uncommon situation in cases of this sort. In 1991 its income was some 314,000 of which some 51,000 represented licence and application fees and about 224,000 `tournament tax', which I understand to represent a small percentage of the takings at boxing tournaments. Mr Watson collapsed unconscious within a minute or so of this. In 1990 Mr Watson had been involved in litigation with his manager, in which the Board had filed an Affidavit. . They also argued that it was not fair, just and reasonable that the PFA should be liable to negligence. Plainly, however, the longer the delay, the more serious the outcome. His conclusions as to duty are to be found in the following passages from his judgment. Test. Once the defendant had become involved in the activity which gives rise to the risk, he comes under the duty to act reasonably in all respects relevant to that risk. The issue in this action is not whether the right policy was adopted but simply whether proper care was used in making provision for medical treatment of Mr Watson. Mr Usherwood had authority, under an Order made pursuant to the Civil Aviation Act 1982 to certify that the aircraft was fit to fly. Heaven v Pender (1883) 11 Q.B.D. By then, so he submitted, the evidence established that the damage would have been done. Attempts have been made, within Parliament and outside, to bring about the banning of the sport of boxing. 27. All involved in a boxing contest were obliged to accept and comply with the Board's requirements. More significantly, he would not be in a position to know whether the provisions that the Board required to be put in place represented all that it was reasonable to provide for his safety. They did not have the expertise in providing such resuscitation; nor did they have the necessary equipment. Michael Watson suffered a near-fatal brain injury and spent 40 days in a coma after boxing against Chris Eubank, who still struggles to comprehend what happened on that fateful night If authority is needed for this approach, it is to be found in the Judgment of the Court of Appeal in Perrett v Collins [1998] 2 LL.L.Rep. 53. Resuscitation equipment should be at ringside along with person(s) capable of using it". Mr Watson should have been resuscitated on losing consciousness and then taken directly to the nearest hospital with a neurosurgical capability, which should have been standing by to operate without delay. Serious brain damage such as that suffered by Mr Watson, though happily an uncommon consequence of a boxing injury, represented the most serious risk posed by the sport and one that required to be addressed. As a result of the delay the patient sustained brain damage. It seems to me that, but for the intervention of the Board, the promoter would probably owe a common law duty to the boxer to make reasonable provision for the immediate treatment of his injuries. 43. In 1989 it was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. Therefore, it is likely that injuries arising from such play occur frequently but when do they occur as an act of negligence? The issue is whether the standard of reasonable care required the Board to change their practice in order to address the risks of such injuries before the Watson/Eubank fight. Mr Walker urged that a duty of care should not be imposed upon the Board because it was a non profit-making organisation and did not carry insurance. Later, after referring to Lord Bridge's speech in Caparo at p.261, he said: "Thus when a case fits into a category where the existence of a duty of care and a potential liability in the tort of negligence has already been recognised, the more elusive criteria to which Lord Bridge referred for dealing with cases that go beyond the recognised category of proximity do not arise.". He was taken on a stretcher to an ambulance which was standing by which took him to North Middlesex Hospital. He did not, however, identify any obvious stepping stones to his decision. In such a case the authority running the hospital is under a duty to those whom it admits to exercise reasonable care in the way it runs it: see Gold v Essex County Council [1942] 2 K.B. Mon 8 Oct 2001 12.23 EDT Michael Watson will receive no more than 400,000 compensation in settlement of a damages claim worth up to 2.5m. * The Board failed to require a medical examination of Mr Watson immediately following the conclusion of the contest. 30. In accordance with normal practice, the medical officers for the contest were nominated by the Southern Area Council. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Alexandrou v Oxford (1933), Maguire v Harland & Wolff PLC (2005), Calvert v William Hill (2008) and more. "Here all that is clear is that on the balance of probabilities the Claimant's present state would have been materially better than it actually is. The patient is then artificially ventilated through this tube with oxygen. [5] Phillips noted that the BBBC had taken control of medically supervising the sport, and that the duty of care was not just to avoid injuries, but "to ensure that injuries already sustained are properly treated". In my judgment, there must be an affirmative answer to that question. 1. On a preliminary issue the House of Lords held that the classification society had no duty of care to the cargo owners. 103. The movement of the brain within the skull may rupture veins, or more rarely an artery, inside the head leading to bleeding which builds up into a blood clot or haematoma. 128. [6] This was an extension to the previous duty of care under negligence, and also serves as an exception to the rule under trespass to the person that a defendant will not be liable for personal harm caused in sporting matches which the claimant consents to. 82. The ordinary test of reasonable skill and care is the correct one to apply. The L.A.S. On 24 September 1999 Ian Kennedy J., gave judgment in favour of Mr Watson against the Board. ii) rules designed to restrict the physical injuries that may be caused in the course of the fight; iii) rules designed to secure that a boxer receives appropriate medical attention when injured in the course of a fight. The Notice of Appeal contended that there was no evidence that, had the rules contended for by Mr Watson been in place, he would have been treated any differently; the Judge should have found that none of the doctors present, nor the ambulance man, would have intubated the claimant, whatever equipment had been available, because he was breathing spontaneously. 31. Mr Walker's challenge to these findings was based on a single point. 130. 111. The Board assumes the, 89. It shall be adequately lit, have an examination couch and possess hot and cold running water. The ambulance should be prepared to go direct to the Neurological unit that had been placed on stand-by. He gave evidence that he agreed with Mr Hamlyn's views. During the match Watson was knocked out by Eubank, and it was 7 minutes before doctors attended him; eventually 3 doctors and an ambulance were needed. Watson v British Boxing Board of Control [2001] QB 1134 was a case of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales that established an exception to the defence of consent to trespass to the person and an extension of the duty of care expected in cases of negligence. 2. I turn to the law. Obviously a full report should then be sent to the relevant Area Council or Board and the sooner this is done, from a medical view point, the better.". 90. The other group of cases involved duties imposed on local authorities in relation to children with special educational needs. James George, James George. A doctor must be available to give immediate attention to any boxer should this be required. Boxer members of the Board, including Mr Watson, could reasonably rely upon the Board to have taken reasonable care in making provision for their safety. These cases establish that where A advises B as to action to be taken which will directly and foreseeably affect the safety or well-being of C, a situation of sufficient proximity exists to found a duty of care on the part of A towards C. Whether in fact such a duty arises will depend upon the facts of the individual case and, in particular, upon whether such a duty of care would cut across any statutory scheme pursuant to which the advice was given. It was accepted that, if the survey had been negligent the loss of the cargo was a foreseeable consequence. I do not believe there is any difference in principle between giving advice about safety and laying down rules to provide for safety. I think that the Judge was right. 59. It is, however, clear that the test is an objective one: Henderson v Merrett Syndicates Ltd., [1995] 2 AC 145, 181. Michael Watson was injured in a boxing match supervised by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC or BBBC), which was expected . I find this distinction between instructions as to duties and instructions as to how to perform duties elusive and over subtle. that the negligence alleged fell into the category of directly causing foreseeable personal injury, both he and Swinton Thomas L.J. The Board encouraged and supported its boxing members in the pursuit of an activity which involved inevitable physical injury and the need for medical precautions against the consequences of such injury. The final question is, to what extent? The Plaintiffs were children with dyslexia. He further alleged that had he received that treatment, he would not have sustained permanent brain damage. Flashcards. radio Watson v British Boxing Board of Control: Negligent Rule-Making in the Court of Appeal. Dr Shapiro examined Mr Watson and put a Brookes Airway into his mouth to maintain his airway. .Cited Portsmouth Youth Activities Committee (A Charity) v Poppleton CA 12-Jun-2008 The claimant was injured climbing without ropes (bouldering) at defendants activity centre. Lord Browne-Wilkinson answered this question in the affirmative. 66. 3. The education of the pupil is the very purpose for which the child goes to the school. But at the same time it countenances and gives its blessing to contests where the safety arrangements are those of its making. The body set up by the Board that gave particular consideration to safety standards was a Medical Committee, sometimes referred to as The Medical Panel, that was set up in 1950. The third category is of particular importance in the context of this action. i) that it owed no duty of care to Mr Watson; ii) that if it owed the duty alleged, it committed no breach; and. Held: The respondent had not assumed a general responsibility to all road users . The Claimant would have been resuscitated within a few minutes of 23.00 and in St. Bartholomews by 23.45 at the latest. This care was insufficient, and as such Watson was in a coma for 40 days, and spent 6 years in a wheelchair. 4. I do not find this surprising. At this meeting Mr Hamlyn expressed the view that it was vital that at the ringside there should be the right doctors with the right equipment. The final point taken by the Board was that they did not receive advice in relation to the desirability of ringside resuscitation until after Mr Watson's injuries. In order to explain these allegations, I propose to summarise the evidence on: * the nature of injuries such as those suffered by Mr Watson; * the manner in which such injuries were treated in hospital in 1991; * the manner in which such injuries should have been treated at the ringside and. Where a patient is brought unconscious to hospital as a result of intra-cranial bleeding, the practice is first to apply a process described as resuscitation or stabilisation. Therefore, it is said, it is nothing to the point that the social workers and psychiatrist only came into contact with the plaintiffs pursuant to contracts or arrangements made between the professionals and the local authority for the purpose of the discharge by the local authority of its statutory duties. The Board exercises its control of professional boxing through a system of eight Area Councils, subject to overall control by Stewards and Committees. Should the principles, as derived from the established cases, lead to a finding of a duty of care in this case? The educational psychologist was professionally qualified. Lord Steyn stated:-, "Since the decision in Dorset Yacht Co. v The Home Office [1970] AC 1004, it has been settled law that the elements of foreseeability and proximity as well as considerations of fairness, justice and reasonableness are relevant to all cases whatever the nature of the harm sustained by the plaintiff..". Watson v British Boxing Board of Control [2001] QB 1134 was a case of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales that established an exception to the defence of consent to trespass to the person and an extension of the duty of care expected in cases of negligence. 17. Watson v British Boxing Board of Control [2001] QB 1134 was a case of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales that established an exception to the defence of consent to trespass to the person and an extension of the duty of care expected in cases of negligence. 3. The numbers of those to whom the duty is alleged to be owed in the present case are not incompatible with the requirements of proximity. Mr Watson's case, in essence, was that there should have been a different regime in place - Mr Walker described it as an intensive care unit at the ringside. In these circumstances there is no close proximity between the services and the general public. 94. The Law Commission in its 1994 Consultation Paper No.134 "Criminal Law: Consent and Offences Against the Person" recognised that boxing was an anomaly in English law. Any loss of consciousness was short lived - he regained his feet and walked to his corner. It concludes that, if account is taken of all these areas, insurance has been of vital importance to the law of tort. Thus the. so-called requirements for a duty of care are not to be treated as wholly separate and distinct requirements but rather as convenient and helpful approaches to the pragmatic question whether a duty should be imposed in any given case. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Mr Hamlyn said, and I accept, that there would have been very few British neurosurgeons who at this time would have questioned the need to put up a line and administer this diuretic in a case such as the present. This was drawn to the attention of the duty Petty Officer, who organised a stretcher, had the rating carried to his cabin and placed on his bunk in the recovery position, in a coma. There is no more justification for a blanket immunity in their cases than there was in Capital & Counties Plc v Hampshire Country Council [1997] QB 1004. 3. He answered that it took something like the injury to Mr Watson to make the Committee think of changing the practice. As for the argument that the local authorities were vicariously liable for negligence on the part of those giving them advice, Lord Browne-Wilkinson held at pp.752-3: "The claim based on vicarious liability is attractive and simple. a) Requirements as to protective covering for the ring floor and the corners (Rule 3.4). On his initiative a meeting took place with the Minister for Sport, two of Mr Hamlyn's colleagues, the Board's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Whiteson, and other board officials on 16th October 1991. The vessel sailed and sank a few days later with the loss of the cargo.
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