Eyes Hurt By Flagon Corks

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30930, 10 December 1965, Page 3

Eyes Hurt By Flagon Corks

(NZ. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 9. The increasing number of eye injuries caused by beer flagons is alarming Wellington Hospital staff. Cases of serious eye injury, suffered from flying flagon corks were being admitted at the rate of one every few weeks, the head of the eye department, Dr. Randall Elliott, said today. “The injuries occur,” he said, “when the screw top of the flagon is removed and the person opening the flagon starts to remove the cork. “A right-handed person will automatically place the flagon so that the cork is in line with the right eye. The least blow on the flagon may then discharge the stopper with considerable force, propelled by the pressure built up by the beer.” The spokesman said that in his considered view the Government should take steps to

ban the use of such flagons as beer containers.

He urged the use of containers, such as those commonly used for ginger beer, which are threaded inside the opening in such a manner as to have the pressure released immediately after the initial turn of the screw top. An alterative would be a cap-top device which, when lifted by the ordinary bottle opener, released the pressure with perfect safety. “There is a legal aspect to this matter arising from a case heard in Christchurch a little over a year ago in which the Court held that at that

time the defendants would not be liable for injuries caused by flagons because they were not aware of the hazards of the flagon,” he said, “However, they are now aware of this hazard and have taken no steps to protect the public. “It is our intention to suggest to people injured by flagons that they take legal advice.”

The common injury, be said, was a severe hemorrhage inside the eye and the blow on the front of the eye caused serious bruising of the membrane of sight. This was likely to cause permanent loss of sight.

"We have had cases in New Zealand of rupture of the eyeball.” There were at least five people in the Wellington Hospital eye ward in the Christmas season last year, not all from flagons. Two had been injured by the plastic stop-

pers of sparkling wines which had been carelessly removed—that is, with the bottle held pointing unnecessarily at the face. “The picture is beginning to repeat itself this year,” he said.

A spokesman for the Hotels Association of New Zealand said his association at present had no comment to make.