The Provincial Court in Palma has ordered a Magalluf club to pay compensation of 300,000 euros to a Scottish man who was left blind in both eyes after an accident at the club in July 2018.
Dillon Connery from Paisley was hit in the face at point-blank range by a paint bag fired from a paint gun that was mounted on the stage at the club. There was a form of 'holi' colours party. Under normal circumstances, the paint should be perfectly harmless. On July 11, 2018 it wasn't because of the impact that caused his eyes to "split like nutshells". He was 18 in July 2018.
He was operated on at Son Espases Hospital, but surgeons were unable to save his sight. One surgeon said at the time that he had never seen anything like this. Doctors are hopeful that he may eventually regain some partial sight in one eye.
A Palma court initially awarded compensation of 3,000 euros, maintaining that the blindness "had not been proven". The Provincial Court accepted the appeal against this decision, pointing to "inconsistency" in the original ruling. The Court did, however, reject a larger compensation claim - one million euros - on the grounds that this had not been supported by expert opinion in respect of quantifying damage to the quality of life of Mr. Connery and his family.
The club will have to pay half the compensation itself. Insurance cover was for 150,000 euros, which has already been paid. The Court's assessment was 280,000 euros for compensation itself, the additional amount being for temporary injuries and surgical interventions.