A rugby player whose spleen ruptured in a mistimed tackle was left “speechless” after a High Court judge dismissed his £500,000 compensation claim.
Dominic Fry, 26, was tackled by Ryan Ball during a derby between Haywards Heath and Hove RFC in October 2013. He needed emergency surgery to remove his spleen, and sued Hove’s Mr Ball for damages.
Judge Jeremy Freedman yesterday dismissed the claim, saying risk of injury is “inevitable” in rugby.
Mr Fry later said he was “speechless”, adding: “I don’t have a clue what to do now… I really thought I had a case otherwise I would not have gone to court… I don’t know what to think any more. It hasn’t sunk in properly.”
He revealed he had been made redundant from working on a superyacht two weeks ago.
Jonathan Bellamy, representing Mr Ball and his club, said: “The threshold of proof in a personal injury claim from competitive sport is high.”
Mr Ball and Hove RFC were approached for comment.
