A bride's dream wedding day turned into a nightmare when she fell 25 feet from a hotel window, suffering catastrophic injuries that left her in a wheelchair.
The Night of the Fall
The incident occurred at the Deebert House Hotel Ltd in Kilmallock, Ireland, in the early hours of the morning after Jackie Sexton's wedding in February 2020. Ms Sexton, then 37, and her husband Christopher returned to their room from the wedding reception at around 3.30am.
In evidence given to the High Court, Ms Sexton explained she had consumed a significant amount of alcohol during the celebrations. Her final memory before the fall was sitting on the window sill in her underwear, with her feet resting on a table below as she smoked a cigarette.
Immediate Aftermath and Injuries
The next thing the newlywed remembered was waking up in Limerick University Hospital the following day, connected to a morphine drip. Her husband had raised the alarm after leaving the bathroom to find the bedroom empty and the window open.
Unable to see his wife from the window, he heard "moaning or groaning" from below and rushed to help. The fall resulted in a harrowing list of injuries for Ms Sexton:
- Fractured ribs
- A collapsed lung
- Serious injuries to her back, leg, hip and pelvic bone
Legal Battle and Lasting Impact
Ms Sexton, a mother-of-two, launched a legal case against the hotel, alleging negligence and a breach of duty for failing to ensure guest safety. Her legal team argued that "the wedding weekend was destroyed as a result of the accident".
The hotel denied liability, contesting the claim fully. Their defence stated that the windows had been properly fitted with restrictors in 2014 and were in full compliance with building standards.
In court, Ms Sexton outlined the profound impact on her life. Previously active and holding a jockey licence since her teens, she had worked in hospitality, retail, and medical device production. She told the court she could no longer perform these jobs due to ongoing back and leg pain.
Her "painful and scary" rehabilitation, which took place during the Covid pandemic, involved:
- Initial surgery
- Use of a cervical collar and spinal brace
- Dependence on a wheelchair and crutches
- Extensive physiotherapy and strong medication
During proceedings on Friday, as cross-examination by the hotel's counsel was due to continue, both parties entered into discussions. The plaintiff's senior counsel, Barney Quirke, later informed Ms Justice Denis Brett that the matter had been resolved.
The case, which was scheduled to last five days, was struck out with no order for costs. Ms Justice Brett passed on her best wishes to Ms Sexton.
