A 29-year-old barmaid was burned by a chemical fluid that leaked from a bottle while she worked at Howl at the Moon nightclub, Lower Mount Street, Dublin, a judge heard yesterday.

Barrister Noel Cosgrove told the Circuit Civil Court that on November 2nd, 2006, Magdalena Klimkiewicz of Bertram Court, Lamb Alley, Christchurch, was filling bottles with cleaning fluid when the incident happened.

She had been pouring water into a bottle containing sodium hydroxide, a detergent, when steam and hot liquid burst from it, burning her right arm and hands. She was taken to the emergency unit of St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. She returned to work a week later.

Ms Klimkiewicz sued Mount Street Pub Ltd, trading as Howl at the Moon, which is now in receivership, for negligence.

Mr Cosgrove said a judgment against the pub owners had been obtained earlier on the grounds that they failed to enter an appearance to Ms Klimkiewicz’s claim. Circuit Court president Mr Justice Matthew Deery awarded her €18,000 damages. There was no appearance in court for the defendant.

awarded burned burning chemical fluid Circuit Civil Court Damages incident judgment negligence