– First of all, I am incredibly easy going. It has been an enormous strain for us to fight against Norway’s largest insurance company. It will be a bit of David against Goliath, says Ask’s father, Klaus Sørensen. In June 2019, 10-year-old Ask was at an activity camp for children organized by the local sports team. Together with around 25 other 9- and 10-year-olds, he played handball in the Alliansehallen in Ski. In the afternoon, leaders and children were to gather. Then they heard a thump. No one saw what happened, but Ask had scored a handball goal. The 10-year-old was taken to hospital with crushing injuries to the head. He ended up on a ventilator. The operation afterwards took six hours. – He has sustained permanent damage for the rest of his life as a result of this, says lawyer Christian Lundin. Today, Ash is 14 years old. Photo: PRIVATE The goal was secured with a wooden bench In the hall where the children played handball, six mini handball goals were installed. The targets are usually mounted with a metal bar at the back, but a wooden bench is often used as an alternative. And this was the case with the goal Ask got over. Alliancehallen, where the accident occurred, has liability insurance through Gjensidige Forsikring. Follo and Nordre Østfold District Court has now concluded the case. The district court believes that Gjensidige is liable for damages. In addition, they must pay NOK 540,113 for the family’s legal costs. Lawyer Christian Lundin says it is a happy verdict for Ask and the family. Photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / Ronald Hole Fossåskaret Gross negligence Negligence has been shown in relation to the overall planning and actual assembly of the mini handball goals, the judgment states. – The fundamental thing about this case is that it is about safety all around in all Norwegian handball halls. It is very important that the targets are secured properly, says Lundin. news has been in contact with Gjensidige. They cannot currently comment on the verdict because they have not seen it. The judgment is not yet legally binding, because it can still be appealed. – If this judgment becomes legally binding, a final compensation claim will be calculated, and negotiations will be made with Gjensidige for a compensation settlement, explains Lundin. Great mental burden Gjensidige actually objected to the fact that there was liability for damages. Sørensen hopes they will accept the verdict. – Then we can finish this and put it behind us. It was a decent verdict that proves what we have been saying all along, he says. All in all, Ask is a relatively happy boy today, says his father. Photo: PRIVAT He says that the whole thing has been a big mental burden. – It’s all the time in your head when you prepare for a case. It’s not something we’ve done before. He describes the four years that have passed since the accident as tough. – We didn’t quite know when we could put this behind us. Ask, who is now 14, is still deeply affected by the accident. He is very tired, and can’t take as much as before. The school days are shorter and are arranged with assistants. – When people ask how things are going, we say that, given the conditions, things are going well. We usually say that we are glad that Ash is alive. The day of the accident was not given, says Sørensen.
ttn-69
Gjensidige is ordered to pay damages – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
