Woman loses disability case after being pictured winning Christmas tree-throwing contest
FILE - A noble fir measured at between five and six feet, sits in a Christmas tree lot.
A woman in Ireland lost a more than $800,000 in an injury lawsuit stemming from a car crash after photos showed her launching a Christmas tree during a post-holiday competition – and winning the event.
Kamila Grabska, 36, sued an insurance agency in the country, RSA Insurance, after a 2017 car crash she claimed caused her debilitating neck and back pain that prevented her from holding down a job for five years, the Irish Independent reported. Grabska is a mom of two from the town of Ennis in County Clare, Irish media reports.
The car accident was the result of someone hitting Grabska’s car from the rear, and allegedly left her unable to carry her young children or complete household chores. She quit her job shortly after, received disability payments and argued that her previous and future lost income totaled more than $500,000, according to the Telegraph.
Newspaper reports, however, soon surfaced of Grabska competing in a Christmas tree-throwing event on Jan. 8, 2018, nearly a year after the accident supposedly left her with "disabling" pain." The Irish High Court reviewed a photo of Grabska launching a tree, which the judge, Carmel Stewart, described as a "very graphic picture," according to the Telegraph.
The competition involves people throwing roughly 5-foot spruce trees as far as they are able.
The court also reportedly reviewed video recorded last year of Grabska playing with a Dalmatian in a dog park for more than an hour, media reports show.
The judge ruled to dismiss the case following the review of photos and video.
"It is a very large, natural Christmas tree and it is being thrown by her in a very agile movement. I’m afraid I cannot but conclude the claims were entirely exaggerated. On that basis, I propose to dismiss the claim," the judge said, according to the Irish Independent.
Grabska denied that she faked her injuries while in court, saying she was "trying to live a normal life," according to the Telegraph.
Fox News Digital reached out to Grabska's attorneys, but did not immediately receive a reply.