Tipperary native Annie Dunne had her ear and scalp torn from her head in an accident in 2015.
A packing company in Australia is facing a maximum fine of AUD379,000 (approximately €244,000) over an accident involving an Irish backpacker in November 2015.
Annie Dunne had her ear and scalp torn from her head when her head became tangled in a rotating drive shaft while cleaning a conveyor belt in a fruit-picking plant in Shepparton in Victoria on November 7, 2015.
Ms Dunne was subsequently airlifted to hospital for treatment and an online fundraising campaign set up shortly after the incident occurred raised AUD35,634 (approximately €25,000) to go towards the costs of her medical treatment.
T&R Contracting Shepparton Pty Ltd were fined a sum of AUD60,000 (approximately €42,200) in Shepparton Magistrates Court earlier this year and this week, Kalafatis Packing appeared in the same court to face charges over the incident.
According to Shepparton News, the company was initially set to face 10 charges, but after negotiations with prosecutors, it was lowered to two charges to which Kalafatis Packing intended to plead guilty: Failing to maintain a plant that was safe and without risks and failing to maintain systems of work that were safe and without risk.
A lawyer working on behalf of Kalafatis Packing told the court that as Ms Dunne’s supervisor was Chinese, communication difficulties could have contributed to the accident and said that changes to the workplace recommended in safety inspections had been implemented.
Had the case been sent to County Court, the company could have faced a maximum fine of AUD1.365 million (approximately €878,000), but as the proceedings will remain in the Magistrates Court, the maximum fine it can face is AUD379,000 (approximately €244,000).
A further plea and sentencing will take place on January 11.
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