Former Pupil Sues School Over Fall From Window

It has been revealed that a public school is being sued by a former pupil, after she fell out of a window and received severe personal injuries.

The girl was drunk at the time of the incident and fell out of the open window. She has been left permanently disabled.

The 16-year-old pupil at Oundle School when the incident occurred. She was drunk at a Valentine's Day ball and fell 15ft from her first-floor window.

The claimant now a 20-year-old classics student at Selwyn College, Cambridge, claims that the incident happened because of a "drinking culture" among students at the school.

It is reported that compensation will be sought via a no win no fee arrangement to the sum of £300,000 in damages.

The student now suffers from partial paraplegia, which can lead to limb paralysis, and walks with the aid of crutches.

A night to remember for all the wrong reasons

The accident took place in February 2005, when the student was in the lower sixth of the mixed £22,800-a-year school near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Her writ claims that the window she fell from opened to 12 inches, three times the legal maximum. Documents lodged at the High Court say that the school was in loco parentis, and accuse the school of failing in its duty of care by leaving the student in the room while it was "known she was under the influence of alcohol."

She alleges that before the ball she had drunk "a combination of alcohol drinks" over several hours. When teachers noticed that she was walking unsteadily, she was sent to "cool off", but her statement claims that she returned to the ball.

Staff later confirmed that she had in fact been drinking and took her back to her room. However, once left there, the writ states, she "leaned so far out the window that she fell out."

Oundle's rules state that sixth form pupils are allowed to drink wine, beer and cider at officially permitted social events where a "substantial meal" is provided.

Legal case

After the

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