Man crippled in ski crash fails in claim for damages

A man aged 23, who was crippled in a school ski accident, lost his right to a six-figure compensation payout yesterday after a judge overturned a ruling that a teacher could have prevented his injury.

Simon Chittock has been confined to a wheelchair since he broke his spine while skiing off-piste at an Austrian ski resort six years ago.

Last year, a High Court judge ruled that Woodbridge School in Suffolk was 50 per cent liable, after a supervising teacher, Andrew Jackson, failed to confiscate Mr Chittock's ski pass. The teenager won special permission to join the trip for younger children. He was caught skiing off-piste the day before the accident and given a severe reprimand.

At the High Court last year, Mr Justice Leveson found Mr Jackson had failed in his "duty of care" by allowing the schoolboy to continue skiing at the Kuhtai resort. But the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that Mr Chittock had previously behaved well and the teacher had taken reasonable action. Lord Justice Auld said the accident was caused primarily because Mr Chittock was skiing too fast and paying insufficient attention.

The ruling leaves Mr Chittock, now of Clapham, south London, without grounds to claim compensation under the 50 per cent liability ruling, which would have amounted to about £500,000.