(CNS): A customer who was skewered in the eye by a piece of rusty rebar jutting from a wall at Dolphin Discovery has been awarded US$500,000 in damages so far but could be getting even more following his successful claim against the park. John McDow (39), who is from the US state of Georgia but was a resident here at the time, was injured when he visited the dolphinarium in West Bay in 2017.
His full claim has not yet been assessed but this month he was awarded a second payment of $150,000 by the Cayman Islands courts. According to court documents, the park owners made a voluntary payment of $350,000 last April, a year after the company partially admitted responsibility for McDow’s injuries.
The total value of his damages award will finally be determined at a further hearing based on the injuries he has sustained and their long-term impact, as well as his medical costs and loss of earnings.
McDow needed complex surgery for his eye injury and has since suffered a number of other complications, including severe headaches, which he said in his claim had undermined his ability to work. The main challenge for his future job prospects is that he can no longer spend long periods of time using computers.
Even though the final award has not been settled, the law provides for interim payments to cover medical costs or other expenses, and because McDow is struggling to work, he is seeking to buy a business to give him an income.
Having heard the claim for an interim payment in June, Justice Alastair Walters ordered a further payment of US$150,000, noting that he was being conservative and that the final payment would likely be higher.
See the judgement on the court website, cause # 231/2018
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So who owns and operates the dolphin prison??? Is it a secret?
Say what? That guy always made him self out to be a nature lover. What was a nature lover doing at a dolphin prison?
A breakout was being planned for the dolphins?
Sounds like he was on the ironshore outside the prison
It is a disgrace to the Island that this place even exists
Thst place is still open ?
19 @ 7:27 am – Exactly! I live nearby and walk past often. For 2 years during the lockdown the dolphins were “abandoned”, except for their feeding. No other interaction! Disgusting!
Good, hope this disgusting place goes bust and has to close.
Was the old rebar sticking out of the original construction? If so why didn’t BCU flag this during final inspection? Public venues need to be subjected to extra scrutiny, there are numerous instances of not to code construction all over George Town and most property owners probably don’t even know it and or care. They are sitting ducks if they don’t do appropriate due diligence or have adequate insurance.
Set the Dolphins free and replace them with the politicians. Invite the world to see the Freak Show. Revenues will increase exponentially.
gonna need a bigger pool
Agreed, gonna need some serious gallonage.
shut down the dolphin prisons!
Sad for him but he’s way better off than the dolphins.
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