A former extreme sports enthusiast is suing a Sussex vineyard for more than £200,000 after a tractor accident left him with life-changing injuries. Guy Hollingworth, 53, was working at Rathfinny Wine Estate near Alfriston in September 2022 when he fell from a pallet on the back of a tractor.
Mr Hollingworth, who once enjoyed skydiving, snowboarding and scuba diving, now struggles to walk more than 50 metres and cannot use his left hand for tasks such as holding a knife and fork. He also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a chronic pain condition.
His barrister, Laura Begley, told the High Court that Mr Hollingworth was standing on an unsecured pallet on the tractor forks when his colleague accelerated, causing him to fall and strike his head and back on metal equipment. The vineyard admits primary liability but argues Mr Hollingworth was partly to blame, claiming he set the forks too low and failed to hold on properly.
Rathfinny, a family-run vineyard established in 2010 by former hedge fund manager Mark Driver and his wife Sarah, produces award-winning English sparkling wines. Its 2018 Blanc de Blancs won a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge 2023.
The case continues.
