Art Installation Tragedy Victims Receive Compensation

Following a hearing in the High Court, the judge is to rule on who was responsible for the ‘Dreamspace’ artwork accident, which left two people dead and over two dozen injured.

The accident happened in July 2006, when the Dreamspace V artwork, an inflatable walk-through sculpture which was the latest of several such artworks, was on display in Chester-le-Street, in County Durham. A gust of wind caused the installation to break free from its moorings. Two women were killed when they fell from the sculpture and many more people were injured in the accident.

The amount of compensation due to the families of the two women who died has already been settled, but the courts have yet to decide who was to blame for the accident and in what proportion. The two parties potentially at fault are the local council and Brouhaha International Ltd., the company which organised the event. Mr Justice Foskett has deferred his decision until a future date. It is estimated that the amounts which will ultimately be paid in damages will run to millions of pounds.