- A passenger is suing British Airways for $6.4 million over a brain injury from a fall.
- Andreas Wuchner slipped on a puddle of Baileys liquor at Heathrow Airport in 2017.
- He received $167,000 but is now seeking more, saying his injuries caused the collapse of his business.
A passenger who slipped on a puddle of liquor as he rushed to catch his flight could receive about $5 million in compensation, according to multiple reports.
Andreas Wuchner, a Swiss businessman, was awarded $167,000 for his injuries in 2021, but since then, he's increased his claim from British Airways to $6.4 million, The Telegraph reported.
Wuchner's lawyers said he'd had repeated and lengthy headaches as well as other health effects that caused the breakdown of his business, the outlet reported.
Wuchner told a court in London he flew 6 feet in the air after slipping on a puddle of Baileys liquor at London's Heathrow Airport in 2017, The Guardian reported on Monday.
Having missed an earlier flight, he and his business partner were heading to a replacement flight and rushing to the gate when Wuchner decided to stop at a Starbucks to pick up two espressos and two macchiatos, the paper reported.
Asked in court why he took the time to do this, he said he preferred "a proper coffee out of a coffee machine," according to The Guardian.
Wuchner said he was "walking swiftly" to get to the boarding gate as quickly as possible but not running, "bearing in mind I had four coffees in my hand."
He said he then slipped on the unmarked liquor spillage, hitting his head hard on the floor.
After the initial decision in 2017, Wuchner was awarded the maximum amount — about $167,000 — allowed under the Montreal Convention, which governs the compensation passengers can get for accidents that take place when taking international flights.
But the judge left a window open for Wuchner to claim more in the future, The Independent reported at the time.
This hinged on whether British Airways was responsible for not cleaning up the spillage sooner, Wuchner's lawyer was reported as saying.
According to the legal practice Deka Chambers, the airline said it had called for a cleaner to come to deal with the spillage, but time had passed without airline staff attempting to clean it up.
BA's lawyer, Tom Bird, argued in a pre-trial hearing this week that Wuchner's rushing to the gate with the four coffees was the cause of the accident, The Guardian reported.
But Judge David Saunders found that BA was largely liable.
Even so, Saunders said Wuchner had "contributory negligence" in cutting it so fine, according to The Guardian.
This means he's eligible for 80% of his $6.4 million claim, which is about $5 million, the outlet reported.
BA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.