Woman sues over fall at Rolling Stones concert in Slane

A woman who travelled to a Rolling Stones concert at Slane Castle missed seeing the band on stage after she allegedly slipped on mud and had to be taken from the venue on a stretcher, the High Court heard yesterday.

Victoria Clayton, a nurse, said she was in immense pain after the fall which occurred just before the Rolling Stones came out on stage in their August 2007 gig at Slane.

Ms Clayton, Portadown, Co Armagh, has sued MCD Productions Ltd, Park Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and Corporate Solutions Group, Coes Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, over the accident on August 18th, 2007.

She claims the defendants were negligent in the management and operation of the site and its upkeep and maintenance during a live musical event. A sloping grassy bank was permitted to become excessively wet and slippery and there was an alleged failure to provide some system whereby patrons could safely and securely negotiate that bank, she claims.

The defendants plead they had placed straw and mulch around the venue and there were gravel paths to walk on.

Ms Clayton claims she suffered fractures to the calf and shin bone of her right leg. In her work, when she had to stand during long operations in theatre, she had discomfort in her leg, she said in evidence. There was also an area of numbness around her knee and the scar was still visible.

Earlier, she said she had been to several concerts and attending Slane Castle was an annual pilgrimage. She had gone with a group of friends on a bus to the Rolling Stones concert and drank a can of cider while travelling. She had a glass of wine in the village pub before walking to Slane Castle.

It was wet and she was wearing wellingtons, she said. They had brought bin bags to sit on because the ground was wet and she had beer once she got on to the site. She slipped and fell as she attempted to get to the toilets. She could not get up and had to be taken to an ambulance on a stretcher.

The case continues today.