Incident Highlights Safety Failures

Lessons must be learnt from an incident which saw a Cambridgeshire man involved in a jousting re-enactment die due to a series of failures, an injury expert at Irwin Mitchell has suggested.

A narrative verdict was recorded at the inquest into the death of Paul Anthony Allen, who was seriously injured when a splinter penetrated his eye and then brain during an event being filmed for the Channel 4 series Time Team.

His condition did not improve despite an operation and he died from cardio-respiratory failure and a penetrating brain injury.

It was revealed in an investigation that the victim had not previously jousted in such a re-enactment before, while there was also failures to ensure both the correct helmet and shield were in place to provide adequate protection.

Keith Barrett, who works with victims of serious injury at Irwin Mitchell’s London office, said: “This terrible, tragic case highlights just how important it is for safety to remain a priority regardless of the activity.

“It is vital that the findings of this inquest encourage those involved in re-enactments or other historical events to take a close, serious look at the guidelines and protection they provide to those involved.

“I hope that lessons are learnt from this case which will ensure that no one else faces such terrible problems in the future.”