A woman has lost a court case against Emirates after she claimed she had collapsed and broken her ankle as a result of the airline not giving her enough water.
Lina Di Falco was on a flight from Melbourne to Dubai in 2015 when she allegedly collapsed on her way to the bathroom, hurting her ankle in the fall.
The 54-year-old Moonee Valley City Council employee told the court her injury forced her to take two months off work, caused her constant pain, stopped her from doing the things she loved and led to the breakdown of her marriage, according to the The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).
“Because of the accident, I couldn’t be … the wife that he married,” Di Falco said
Di Falco claims she was given just one glass of water with her meal more than an hour after takeoff, but it wasn’t enough. She said she asked for water four times before getting up to go to the bathroom which made her feel dizzy and like she was going to vomit.
When she returned to Australia after her holiday, she was told her ankle was broken.
Emirates legal team said the plane had a water fountain available for passengers but Di Falco didn’t see it.
After collapsing, Di Falco said cabin crew gave her a large bottle of water to drink for the rest of the flight.
Justice Jacinta Forbes found that the airline had no liability and invited parties to make submissions on costs, SMH reported.
In a statement to Travel Weekly, an Emirates spokesperson said the airline welcomed the verdict of the case.
“The health and safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance,” the spokesperson said.
Di Falco could now face costs running into hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of failing to get compensation.
