Snake bite kills guard on duty; widow and son awarded $50,000

Dubai: Jordan’s Court of Cassation has brought a years-long legal dispute to a close by upholding compensation for the wife and young son of a security guard who died after being bitten by a snake while working at a project in a desert area.

The Amman Court of First Instance had ordered the defendant to pay 36,000 Jordanian dinars, or about $50,000, to the guard’s heirs, including 27,000 dinars to his wife and 9,000 dinars to his minor son.

The ruling also included court costs, lawyers’ fees and legal interest of 9 per cent a year from the date the lawsuit was filed until the full amount is paid.

The case dates to August 2, 2019, when the guard, who was about 32, was working at a project site when he was bitten by a snake.

His family argued that the site was in a desert area where snakes and reptiles were common, and that he had not been provided with suitable accommodation or adequate safety and protective measures.

They said those conditions had forced him to sleep on the ground during overnight shifts.

The family sought damages for the financial, emotional, psychological and social harm caused by his death, as well as compensation for lost income. They said the guard had been the main provider for his wife and son.

The defendant disputed that there had been a regular employment relationship with the guard, raised the possibility that his own negligence had contributed to what happened and questioned whether the snake bite had caused his death several days later.

The Court of Cassation had previously sent the case back after overturning an appellate ruling, ordering further examination of the causal link between the bite and the guard’s death.

The appeals court subsequently appointed a three-member medical panel to review the guard’s medical and court records and determine whether his death was directly related to the bite.

The doctors found that he had been admitted to hospital with symptoms and complications consistent with poisoning from a venomous snake bite.

Tests showed severe disruption to blood clotting and a sharp fall in platelet levels, followed by a progressive deterioration in the function of vital organs.

He also developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulation, a serious condition that affects the body’s ability to control blood clotting.

After the medical review and further proceedings, the courts ultimately upheld the defendant’s liability and the compensation awarded to the guard’s family.