School leaver sues grand hotel for £1m after suffering brain damage from falling into 15ft deep pit at his graduation ball, denies being drunk

A teenager has denied being drunk when he fell into a 15-foot-deep pit during his school prom at a mansion.

Thomas Atkins is suing the owners of the Pendley Manor Hotel for over £1 million after suffering brain damage when he fell into a light shaft in the basement.

He had just turned 18 and was celebrating his graduation from high school with about 100 other students when he collapsed while talking on the phone with his girlfriend.

Mr Atkins, from Tring in Hertfordshire, said he fell because the wall shielding the pit was too low and denied he had been drinking alcohol throughout the day.

He told the Supreme Court: “We were told that if we got too drunk we would be sent home. We all behaved well.”

Mr Atkins says he chatted freely with his teachers, who mingled with students to make sure no one was drunk during the party.

Mr Atkins, now 23, suffered a serious head injury in the fall, which left permanent brain damage.

Although the hotel's owners admitted that the wall surrounding the light well was lower than usual in Britain, they denied any responsibility for the collapse and suspected that Mr Atkins' drinking was the real cause.

Charles Bagot KC, representing the hotel, said Mr Atkins had been drinking since lunchtime, firstly “a couple of ciders and a couple of beers” at a friend's house, then at a prosecco reception before the prom and finally more drinks at the party itself.

Mr Bagot said: “When he was found and cared for in the atrium in the early hours of the following morning, they found that he was drunk and had consumed a large amount of alcohol.”

The lawyer asked Mr Atkins: “Do you recall any of your teachers speaking to you about your drinking or behaviour?”

“No,” he replied, adding “absolutely not” when asked if there might have been a reason why someone might have pushed him into the light shaft.

He said he had casual conversations with his teachers, who, the court heard, mingled with the students to make sure no one was drunk.

He said he had experience with alcohol and drank on weekends, but had never fallen asleep or lost consciousness.

Judge Amanda Stevens heard that Mr Atkins and around 100 other students attended the prom in June 2019 at the Grade II listed Victorian hotel, which is set in 35 acres of parkland.

The Grade II listed Pendley Manor Hotel admits the wall surrounding the lightwell was lower than usual in Britain but denies responsibility for Mr Atkins' fall.

Hotel owners Craydawn Pendley Manor Ltd say Mr Atkins was drunk at the time of his accident, having been drinking since lunchtime.

The event took place in a ballroom on the first floor, but in his testimony Mr Atkins said he went outside several times to sit on a wall and talk on the phone in peace.

He was reported missing late that evening and his mother went to the hotel to help search for him. A search party found him at the bottom of the lighthouse.

According to documents filed in his case, Mr Atkins' lawyers describe the light well as being 4.5 to 6 metres deep and surrounded by a wall just one metre thick.

They say it is “likely that he was sitting on the low wall surrounding the open cellar light well, lost his balance and fell into the cellar, sustaining serious injury, loss and damage. Alternatively, he was standing near the low wall and fell over it into the cellar.”

His lawyers say he suffered a brain injury from the accident that required a craniotomy, a surgery in which part of the skull is removed to access the brain.

They say he suffers from persistent neurological problems, including mood and memory disorders, headaches, hearing loss and balance problems.

Barrister Chris Barnes KC, who appeared in court for Mr Atkins, said the hotel had allowed a “significant unsupervised crash” in a place where “visitors were invited to drink and party”.

“It is admitted that the wall was approximately 10 to 20 centimetres lower than recommended or required by British standards,” he told the judge.

“And it is acknowledged that this is due to work carried out by the hotel.”

“Despite the high number of visitors of all ages, the defendant admits that there were no risk assessments regarding the outside area of ​​the hotel and the light shaft.”

Since the accident, a metal grid has been installed in the light shaft to protect the abyss, he said.

Mr Bagot, the owner of Craydawn Pendley Manor Ltd, said the fall was “quite obvious” and suggested Mr Atkins was responsible for his fall.

The judge will decide whether the hotel must pay compensation for Mr Atkins' injuries. The amount of damages, if any, will be decided at a later date.

Lawyers had previously estimated that the value of the claim would be more than one million pounds if successful.

The process continues.