A neurosurgeon who specialises in spinal cord injuries is suing for more than £10 million after he was left with a trembling hand from a snowmobile crash.
Dr Andrew Cannestra told a judge that he suffered serious head injuries after losing control of the vehicle while on a luxury, adrenaline-fuelled break in Lapland that was organised by the supercar brand McLaren.
He claimed that the injuries, which caused him to have tremors in his hand, made it likely that he would have to retire from his £1.6 million-a-year job.
Cannestra and his partner had paid £23,000 for a four-night stay with the Pure McLaren Arctic Experience, which included driving sports cars on ice roads.
He went on a guided snowmobile trek, during which his Lynx Xtrim machine crashed into a tree while speeding through woodland at up to 40mph.
Advertisement
The 53-year-old surgeon, who is based in Florida, is suing McLaren Automotive Events, the British company that marketed the package holiday, for more than £10million because of the impact of the head injuries he suffered in the crash.
Lawyers for the company have denied liability for his injuries. They told the High Court in London that a local guide did his utmost to ensure the snowmobile outing was safe. They argued that Cannestra was partly to blame for the accident for failing to take sufficient care.
The court was told that the doctor and his partner bought the exclusive luxury holiday in 2020. It was billed as an unforgettable “ice-driving experience”, in which guests propel supercars on a frozen test circuit in Ivalo, Finland, and are encouraged to take snowmobile excursions.
Neil Block KC, for Cannestra, told the court in written submissions that the surgeon and his partner had been the only guests taking the snowmobile tour at the time and were each provided with a personal guide.
The couple initially had a 15-minute trial ride through woodland, where they reached about 30mph.
Advertisement
It is claimed that a guide then took Cannestra on a solo jaunt after telling him he was “doing well” and they should “go off together and have some fun”.
The neurosurgeon lost sight of his guide and crashed while travelling at about 40mph.
Block said that because of the increasing gap between the doctor and his guide, Cannestra was “unaware of the second of the series of left-hand bends or the short straight section of track on the approach to it”.
Cannestra’s legal team maintained that the accident was caused by a failure to ensure the track was clearly marked out and by a failure to ensure a proper safety briefing.
It is also claimed that the guide travelled too far ahead, having earlier set Cannestra’s snow buggy into a relatively advanced mode despite him being a novice rider.
Advertisement
Matthew Chapman KC, for McLaren Automotive, told the court that the company was confident that the local guide did everything he could to ensure the snow trek was safe.
At a preliminary hearing, the company also told the judge, Lisa Ann Sullivan, that there was an element of contributory negligence on the part of the doctor.
No date for full trial has been set, but ultimately it could last up to eight days and include an array of expert witnesses on snowmobile safety and the issues around the terrain in Lapland.