The Union Rooms

mux said:
Fair enough maybe disgrace was too strong a word, but I don't agree with her pursuing the pub when it quite clearly was a stupid thing to do and the risks were clear. Slipping on a wet floor that hadn't been cleaned or tripping on a loose tile and she has my sympathy and support, but pretending to be Mary Poppins and sliding down the handrail when pissed then trying to sue the pub for her resulting injuries is extremely poor form in my opinion and should not be defended or condoned. She should have taken responsibility for her own actions instead of trying to pass it on to someone else. It's easy to see this as an individual vs a company but damages paid out to her would have meant less jobs for people and there would be other impacts no doubt, so others suffer as a result of her own actions. I understand that as you know her and what a tragic story it is that you will of course want to defend her perhaps out of sympathy.
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That's easy for you to say when you aren't paralyzed and totally dependent on others for the rest of your life though, isn't it?
 


It's getting a refurb. I think they are going to close one room at a time so they can keep it open for trade. It's gone right downhill since the takeover.
 
WHD said:
That's easy for you to say when you aren't paralyzed and totally dependent on others for the rest of your life though, isn't it?
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It doesn't change the fact that it was her own actions that caused this and not those of anyone else. I have sympathy for her obviously, but I think trying to fleece the pub for her own poor decision making is wrong. I can't believe you would think it justifiable to chase someone for money when you caused the problem.
 
Back on the day I met a few random sunderland fans in there pissed up one day and we started singing sunderland songs in the middle of the bar. Bit of a silly thing to do now I think back on it but I was young and full of ale.

Nowt happened but it would have served us right if there was a brawl and we'd ended up in hospital or in a cell...
 
mux said:
It doesn't change the fact that it was her own actions that caused this and not those of anyone else. I have sympathy for her obviously, but I think trying to fleece the pub for her own poor decision making is wrong. I can't believe you would think it justifiable to chase someone for money when you caused the problem.
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All I'm saying is if I was in her position without any other income I would have tried the same.
 
Far Tibetan Mountain said:
Back on the day I met a few random sunderland fans in there pissed up one day and we started singing sunderland songs in the middle of the bar. Bit of a silly thing to do now I think back on it but I was young and full of ale.

Nowt happened but it would have served us right if there was a brawl and we'd ended up in hospital or in a cell...
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That would be taking responsibility for your own silly actions mate. Well done.

WHD said:
All I'm saying is if I was in her position without any other income I would have tried the same.
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That's shameful but I suppose is the culture we have these days where people won't take responsibility for their own actions and would rather blame or fleece someone else instead. What about people potentially losing their jobs as a result of your actions? Any thoughts for them?
 
mux said:
That's shameful but I suppose is the culture we have these days where people won't take responsibility for their own actions and would rather blame or fleece someone else instead. What about people potentially losing their jobs as a result of your actions? Any thoughts for them?
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She is paralyzed and effectively her life is over. The pub was insured so I think you're over egging it saying people would lose their jobs.
 
WHD said:
She is paralyzed and effectively her life is over. The pub was insured so I think you're over egging it saying people would lose their jobs.
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I know what her injuries are and it's tragic so we can agree on that. Attempting to apportion blame for those horrific injuries on others in order to gain financially is abhorrent and should not be condoned.

If a pissed up idiot punched a wall in the pub and broke his hand then tried to sue the pub for damages, would you condone it? The principle is the same.
 
mux said:
That would be taking responsibility for your own silly actions mate. Well done.


That's shameful but I suppose is the culture we have these days where people won't take responsibility for their own actions and would rather blame or fleece someone else instead. What about people potentially losing their jobs as a result of your actions? Any thoughts for them?
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I agree people should take responsibility for their own actions but if you operate a pub chain that is set up to flog people cheap booze with the aim of keeping them their all night and getting them hammered, should you not also bear some responsibility for the outcomes? I don't think you can absolve them from any responsibility in situations like this, even if the court finds they are not legally liable.

As @WHD has said, if I was left paralysed, no prospect of earning money ever again, not knowing how I'm going to bring up my kids, and probably fairly terrified, I would do whatever it takes. I don't think that is particularly shameful. As mentioned, they are insured up to the hilt for precisely this sort of claim - nobody loses their jobs because of claims like this (in fact, arguably, it creates jobs in the insurance and legal sectors).

mux said:
I know what her injuries are and it's tragic so we can agree on that. Attempting to apportion blame for those horrific injuries on others in order to gain financially is abhorrent and should not be condoned.

If a pissed up idiot punched a wall in the pub and broke his hand then tried to sue the pub for damages, would you condone it? The principle is the same.
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I would argue it's not quite the same. People do stupid things like slide down banisters when they're hammered (even when they're not). It's why pubs and tube/metro stations use metal studs and rails to discourage it. Spoons' didn't have any in this case iirc.
 
Jonny Ringo said:
I agree people should take responsibility for their own actions but if you operate a pub chain that is set up to flog people cheap booze with the aim of keeping them their all night and getting them hammered, should you not also bear some responsibility for the outcomes? I don't think you can absolve them from any responsibility in situations like this, even if the court finds they are not legally liable.

As @WHD has said, if I was left paralysed, no prospect of earning money ever again, not knowing how I'm going to bring up my kids, and probably fairly terrified, I would do whatever it takes. I don't think that is particularly shameful. As mentioned, they are insured up to the hilt for precisely this sort of claim - nobody loses their jobs because of claims like this (in fact, arguably, it creates jobs in the insurance and legal sectors).


I would argue it's not quite the same. People do stupid things like slide down banisters when they're hammered (even when they're not). It's why pubs and tube/metro stations use metal studs and rails to discourage it. Spoons' didn't have any in this case iirc.
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is it though?
 
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Jonny Ringo said:
I agree people should take responsibility for their own actions but if you operate a pub chain that is set up to flog people cheap booze with the aim of keeping them their all night and getting them hammered, should you not also bear some responsibility for the outcomes?
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So if someone drinks in a pub, gets pissed, leaves and gets ran over cos they stumble onto the road is that the pubs responsibility?
 
Goat Eyes said:
They probably didn’t understand your request.
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:lol: Probably, but in all seriousness I broke my back there in 1995 and suffered spinal cord damage. Had incomplete paraplegia since then and usually get around crutches. My own fault, shouldn't have been pissing about with my mates but I was young and daft.

Back then we wouldn't have dreamed of blaming someone else. In fact, I'm sure I got a bollocking off my fatha in A&E while lying on a stretcher.

Also, previous comments about her life being over after paralysis, not necessarily. Life is what you make of it, maybe I was lucky I was so young (16) but I've lived a fairly decent life since, got married, worked for over 20 years
 
foolzy said:
:lol: Probably, but in all seriousness I broke my back there in 1995 and suffered spinal cord damage. Had incomplete paraplegia since then and usually get around crutches. My own fault, shouldn't have been pissing about with my mates but I was young and daft.

Back then we wouldn't have dreamed of blaming someone else. In fact, I'm sure I got a bollocking off my fatha in A&E while lying on a stretcher.

Also, previous comments about her life being over after paralysis, not necessarily. Life is what you make of it, maybe I was lucky I was so young (16) but I've lived a fairly decent life since, got married, worked for over 20 years
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Bloody hell mate, I thought you were making a joke.

On the note of blame, I think the pub (or anywhere else) need to take reasonable precautions against stuff like this happening.

But quite often you don’t know it’s a risk until someone has hurt themselves.

The question of blame is straightforward, it was her fault but the safeguards should have been in place to protect the customer.
 
Jonny Ringo said:
The fact they made her an offer indicated they thought they was a risk they would lose. Pubs that sell alcohol people, getting them pissed in the process, have to accept that this impacts on the behaviour of their patrons and are held by the courts to a higher duty of care as a result. Clearly, the claim was not particularly strong but she was advised by her solicitors that she had a case and pursued it. You may not agree with that but that does not make her a disgrace.
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They probably made an offer based on the fact it was cheaper than going to court with the risk of it going against them given.

What A Waster said:
Who owns it now? Not been in for about a year as there is better options, didn't realise it was no longer a Wetherspoons
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The bloke who owns San Lorenzos in Gosforth bought it

Newcastle pub the Unions Rooms set for big changes under new operators
 
foolzy said:
It's like me blaming South Tyneside Council for not having bouncy castles surrounding Camels Island in Marsden Bay
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Didn't know that had happened to you mate - shocking stuff and glad you've managed to live a good life. Well done for taking responsibility and not trying to fleece the innocent, and then justify it by saying "it's okay they're insured" - absolute f***ing nonsense and shameful.

These are the kind of people who would trample all over anyone to get what they want. I prefer people with morals and principles, even if that means you willingly don't get the best for yourself if that means not f***ing someone else over.

Jonny Ringo said:
I would argue it's not quite the same. People do stupid things like slide down banisters when they're hammered (even when they're not). It's why pubs and tube/metro stations use metal studs and rails to discourage it. Spoons' didn't have any in this case iirc.
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If I visited your house, got pissed, pretended to be Mary Poppins and tried to slide down your bannister, fell and broke my back... would you think it was fair if I tried to sue you for not having spikes on the bannister? The principle is the same.

And besides, they have spikes and signs in metro and tube stations because it is the size of a slide - it is not a bannister about 5 inches wide with a significant drop over one side onto a marble staircase.
 
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