A man who fell off a balcony and seriously injured a woman below during a band march has been ordered to pay €41,974 in damages.

The case was instituted by the victim, Stephanie Pisani, against Jason Scicluna following the incident on September 13, 2014 at St Michael band club is Zabbar.

The woman had been in the club's courtyard when the accused fell off a balcony, a storey above, owing to negligence.

As a result of the impact, the woman fell on the floor and lost consciousness. She was taken to St James Hospital and later Mater Dei Hospital where she was found to be suffering suffered severe neck injuries and was operated on. 

She had to give up her job as a cleaner because of her state of health. She later worked as a cashier but had to give that up as well because of constant pain.  She is currently unemployed.

Mr Scicluna, who weighed 130kg, was not seriously injured.

In court, he denied responsibility for the accident.

The court heard different versions of how the accident could have happened, namely that Mr Scicluna lost his balance, or that somebody, whom he did not know, tried to lift him on his shoulders as part of the celebrations at the end of the band march and he toppled over.

In its considerations, the court said the club officials of the time should have shown more responsibility to ensure that there was safety on the balcony. This applied even more since Mr Scicluna was the club treasurer at the time. 

The court found Mr Scicluna responsible for the accident and ordered him to pay damages after considering care costs and loss of earnings.