The Municipality of Oslo is appealing the verdict following a diving accident at the Munch Museum to the Supreme Court – Greater Oslo

– It is very regrettable that the municipality is appealing the verdict, and it is particularly alarming that it is doing so on the last day of the deadline, says Christian Lundin. He is a lawyer for Geir Kåre Nyland (33). Nyland was paralyzed from the chest down after a plunge from Munch Brygge in Oslo. Underwater, he hit a concrete element head first. Geir Kåre’s sister Zekiye embraces her brother after the accident. Before the accident, Nyland was an active man, who, among other things, did MMA (martial arts). Right from the start, he has believed that the municipality’s signage at the site was too poor. And he has won in two court rounds. In June at the latest, in the Borgarting Court of Appeal. – This means everything to me, said Nyland when the judgment from the Court of Appeal was clear. He also said that he hoped the municipality would not appeal. Appeal to the Supreme Court They have now done so. On the day of the appeal deadline – 6 September. – Oslo municipality believes that the judgment must be tried again by the Supreme Court, writes the Urban Environment Agency’s communications director Arve Rosland in an e-mail. The agency believes it is important to get Norway’s highest court to assess where municipalities’ responsibility for preventing accidents ends. – The case raises important questions of principle about the municipality’s responsibility in case of diving accidents, and how far the municipality’s responsibility for safety measures along quaysides extends, writes Rosland. Happy: A smiling Geir Kåre Nyland met news in 2023, when he was upheld by the district court. Since then, he has won in yet another court. Photo: Jenny Dahl Bakken / news – Lack of understanding Nyland’s lawyer Christian Lundin reacts to the municipality’s election. – It has now been established in two judgments from the Court of Appeal that the municipality is liable for damages as a result of poor signage, he says. The lawyer believes that Oslo municipality shows a “total lack of understanding” of how burdensome it is for Nyland with a new round in court. – He cannot understand that Norway’s largest municipality treats its citizens in this way, says Lundin. Can claim compensation The Court of Appeal states in its judgment that they believe the accident could have been avoided with better signage. A few small signs along the quay’s edge about shallow water were the only warnings at the site. According to Nyland, he did not see these signs because people were sitting on top of them. Munch brygge had such signs at intervals of a few meters on the edge of the wharf. Photo: Anders Fehn / news In the aftermath of the accident, the municipality has put up several signs there. Published 06.09.2024, at 18.30



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