Woman Suffers Permanent Disability After Horse Riding Incident

TDT | Manama
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

In a rare event, a young Bahraini woman's horseback riding experience resulted in a 5% permanent disability after she was attacked by another horse following her fall. The incident has led to legal action against the stable owner, culminating in a recent court ruling.

The High Civil Court ordered the defendant, the horse stable owner, to pay the plaintiff a total of 3,000 Bahraini dinars, as reported by her attorney Lulwa Al Qa'id.

According to Al Qa'id, her client was engaged in horseback riding at the stable owned by the defendant when she was unexpectedly attacked by another horse belonging to him after she fell down. The attack caused severe injuries that required hospitalisation for treatment, prompting her to file a lawsuit.

"My client was riding when she suddenly fell to the ground. Initially, she stood up without any apparent injury, but then another horse approached from behind and attacked her. She was immediately taken to the hospital, where her injury was found to be incurable. My client's suffering is a direct result of the defendant's failure to provide a safe environment for riders," the lawyer argued during the court hearings.

The medical committees assessed her injuries and concluded that the permanent disability resulting from the horse attack was quantified at 5% of total disability.

In its ruling, the court stressed that the defendant is considered the custodian of the horse, based on testimony from witnesses that the court found credible. The court noted that a custodian is presumed to be at fault unless proven otherwise.

This presumption can be overturned only if it can be shown that the harm resulted from an external factor beyond their control, such as force majeure, the victim's own fault, or the fault of a third party.

The court further stated that the defendant failed to demonstrate any evidence that could sever the causal link between the horse's actions and the injuries sustained by the plaintiff.

As a result, the court ruled against the defendant, holding him liable for damages. The compensation was set at 2,500 Bahraini dinars for material damages and 500 dinars for moral damages.