Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Dolphin Watch company fined

Picton company Dolphin Watch Ecotours has been ordered to pay $135,000 in fines, emotional harm and loss of income for an incident which left an Australian doctor with ''horrific'' injuries to her leg.

Two of the three directors of the company, Paul Keating and Glen McNeilly, were in the Blenheim District Court this morning when the sentence was handed down by Judge Tony Zohrab.

The company previously admitted not taking all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction of an employee while at work harmed a person, and failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of an employee at work.

Judge Zohrab fined the company $55,000 and ordered them to pay $80,000 in emotional harm and loss of earnings to the victim Catherine Carlyle.

The company was also ordered to pay court costs and solicitors costs.

Mrs Carlyle and her husband were on the Dolphin Watch tour on December 10 when her leg was hit by the propeller as she was entering the water.

Mrs Carlyle, then 49, a general practitioner from South Australia, received severe lacerations and fractures to her legs and had at least four operations to repair damage to veins and stabilise the fractures.

- The Marlborough Express

SIMON WONG

Last updated 13:29 14/12/2011


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