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Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa
Corrosive liquids must not be stored in inconspicuous and freely accessible bottles.
That's what the Cologne Regional Court decided in the case of a man who accidentally drank ammonia from a lemonade bottle in a friend's workshop and was seriously injured as a result.
The court ruled that he was entitled to compensation.
The workshop owner who was sued said he kept the colorless liquid he used to clean cell phone circuit boards in a glass bottle behind a sofa.
An intern finally put the bottle in the fridge without his knowledge.
A thirsty friend who was in the workshop helped himself to the fridge behind the counter and drank the liquid in the bottle.
According to the court, he poured the ammonia solution from the bottle into a glass and drank it in one gulp.
He did not notice that it was liquid ammonia in an unknown concentration.
Hiding behind the sofa is not enough
The man suffered serious injuries to the esophagus and stomach.
He had to be put into an artificial coma and recovered only slowly, later he demanded 18,750 euros in damages.
The workshop owner, on the other hand, argued that the man was not allowed to go behind the counter and that he had been awake for three nights because of drug use.
However, the workshop owner should have ensured that third parties could not come into contact with the chemical, the court now explained.
Even hiding behind the sofa was not enough.
On the other hand, the plaintiff should have checked himself what was in the already opened bottle and should not have drunk the glass in one gulp.
This applies all the more if his perception was already impaired by drugs.
The verdict is not yet legally binding.
mxw/AFP