Alhambra pays two-million-euro compensation package to Polish woman left paraplegic after a tree fell on her

Compensation

The historic Granada palace's trust has already paid out almost half of the money needed for the costly treatment and the renovation work the family has had to carry out on their home in Poland following the tragic incident in 2023

Laura Velasco

Granada

The Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife has confirmed that it will pay a young Polish woman nearly two million euros in compensation after she ... was left paraplegic when a tree fell on her at the historic Granada monument in 2023.

According to information obtained by IDEAL from sources at the Patronato (trust) and the affected parties, the ruling – requested by the Andalusian regional government – states that the young woman is entitled to just over 1.9 million euros in compensation. She has already received around 900,000 euros, and the Patronato's insurer will shortly pay the remaining amount.

In October 2023, a huge branch fell on Julia, who has just turned 18, while she was walking along the Cuesta Gomérez, in the gardens of the Alhambra. Originally from Poland, she had come to Granada on a study trip.

Julia is now bedridden, she is unable to walk, is in constant pain and suffers from depression. Her family have gone into debt to pay for her treatment, home adaptations and the costs of her care, while asking for compensation for the accident.

The family, represented by lawyer María Ángeles López Álvarez of ML Abogados, has welcomed the news. They were “ruined” and had asked for money “even from their neighbours”. López Álvarez added, “They’re feeling more at ease now, because they’ll be able to pay what they owe, having had to carry out building work on the house to make it accessible to her bedroom. The victim’s medical treatment is also expensive."

Julia suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury and multiple fractures to her spine, ribs, sternum, clavicle, scapula and pelvis, as well as pulmonary contusions and a pneumothorax. She had to undergo several operations and spent a long period in hospital in Granada until she was able to return to her home country to continue her recovery.

70 kilometres per hour

On 22 October 2023, the day of the fateful event, wind gusts reached 70 kilometres per hour. They uprooted trees, snapped off numerous branches and caused parts of buildings and billboards throughout the city to fall. At one point on Cuesta Gomérez, Julia was trapped by a huge branch.

The effects of the accident were irreversible. It left her paraplegic; she will never be able to walk again. She uses a wheelchair and is completely dependent on others. The consequences of the fateful accident have resulted in costs running into thousands of euros. The family had to carry out building work to adapt their home, and medical treatment is very expensive.

Julia will need lifelong medical and physiotherapy sessions, assistive devices and people around her 24 hours a day to look after her. Her mother has been unable to return to work in order to look after her, meaning the family’s income – already meagre – has been further reduced.

“They are very modest people and have spent all their savings on her,” the lawyer pointed out. On top of the expenses already mentioned, there are also costs for the hospital in Poland, the notary’s fees and petrol for travelling to the doctor’s appointments. Now, three years on, the compensation that the family had been asking for has been confirmed.