A woman's £650,000 compensation claim for injuries sustained in a car crash has been thrown out by a High Court judge in Ireland after she was photographed winning a Christmas tree-throwing competition.
Kamila Grabska, 36, from Ennis, County Clare, sued an insurance company, claiming that a rear-end collision in 2017 had left her with disabling back and neck pain that prevented her from working for more than five years or playing with her children. She said she could not lift heavy bags and sometimes spent half a day in bed, relying on her husband to bring her medication.
However, photographs published in a national newspaper showed Grabska throwing a 5ft spruce tree at a charity event in January 2018, just weeks after the accident. The court also viewed a video of her training her dog in a park for over an hour. Judge Carmel Stewart dismissed the claim, noting the 'graphic nature' of the image and stating that Grabska's behaviour was 'completely at odds' with her alleged injuries.
Grabska denied faking her condition, telling the court she was 'trying to live a normal life' and was still in pain despite appearing happy in the photograph. The judge ruled that the claims were 'entirely exaggerated' and dismissed the case.
