Laser tag owners fined after fall leaves 11-year-old needing 60 stitches
A firm which ran a laser tag arena in Oldbury has been forced to pay out almost £15,000 after a young boy needed up to 60 stitches for a knee injury.
The 11-year-old boy was injured when he fell onto a metal grid in the floor of The Raceway at the Park Lane Trading Estate, magistrates heard.
Sandwell Council said the boy suffered a deep cut to his knee and faces 'ongoing health issues' following several operations after the injury.
DFI Services, which owned the venue at the time of the accident on July 13, 2013, admitted two charges of breaching health and safety regulations at Sandwell Magistrates' Court.
The company, which no longer owns The Raceway, was fined £10,000 for a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and £2,000 for a breach of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
In addition the company was ordered to pay compensation to the injured child of £1,500 and £1,200 towards prosecution costs at the case held on January 19, 2015.
The company is also required to pay a victim's surcharge making the total of £14,820.
Council leader Darren Cooper said: "We welcome the sentences on these charges because it is vitally important that companies are held responsible for their actions when people are injured on their premises under these circumstances.
"This was a very distressing case for the child concerned and it is fitting that the magistrates decided to take tough action on the company."
The current owners of the premises had no involvement in the accident.
