P&O passenger in agony after 'faulty' ferry door slices off fingertip on birthday trip

A dad has told of his "agony" after the tip of his finger was sliced off by a door on a during a surprise .

Allen Gardner, from Hull, was sailing overnight with his partner on the to but as they returned from a late-night walk on deck a door slammed shut trapping his finger and the trip turned into a "terrifying ordeal".

He said: “It was one of the most traumatic and devastating experiences me and my partner have ever encountered,” and he added: “The pain was terrible, I was in agony.”

Staff managed to retrieve his fingertip and store it in a fridge, but Mr Gardner says the ferry was only able to supply him with basic paracetamol as a painkiller and a bag of ice to take to his cabin.

"I had to wait 12 hours before we arrived in Rotterdam to get to a hospital and see a doctor. In all that time my finger had not been dressed properly. It’s caused nothing but severe stress, worry and anxiety." Following an X-ray the hospital confirmed the finger bone was broken, the wound was then dressed and, after a tetanus jab, Mr Gardner was prescribed antibiotics and painkillers.

"They couldn’t reattach the tip as it had been off too long and so we got a taxi straight back to the ferry and sailed home again." On his return after the accident in November 2023, Mr Gardner was treated at Hull Royal Infirmary, and Castlehill Hospital in Cottingham over the coming months as his wound required a new dressing every three days.

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"I still have difficulty picking things up and gripping with my right hand and often drop things," he added. Mr Gardner was eventually awarded compensation after the ordeal.

Lucy Hughes, who represented him from Hudgell Solicitors, said how the door had slammed shut on Allen's hand because the "retaining hinge was not working properly".

She explained: "My client had opened the steel door and let his partner pass through, but the door was stiff and heavy and, because of the fault, it slammed shut with great force, trapping his finger and taking off the tip. We claimed this was caused by negligence and that P&O Ferries had breached their duty to keep their passengers safe.

"We also claimed that P&O had failed to institute an adequate inspection and maintenance system which would have detected and repaired the defective door. My client was put at risk of an accident and injury they ought to have known about. The company acknowledged the claim in a timely way, and I am pleased the matter was settled out of court, and he and his partner could eventually have a belated birthday celebration."

P&O Ferries agreed a damages award of £7,000 for Mr Gardner’s injury and the loss of his holiday. Mr Gardner said he and his partner recently returned to Rotterdam on the ‘Pride of Hull’ and noted that the same deck door had now been repaired.

“I was glad to see there was a new hinge because, if it had happened to a child, things could have been far worse, as it took my fingertip clean off like a mousetrap," said Allen. "I would like to see their first aid provision improved though; I thought it was pretty poor. They didn’t have the correct dressings for the wound, it was covered with an eye patch overnight and there was no proper medical person.

“An nurse who was also travelling at the same time looked at it the next morning and said she was shocked at how they dressed it. I’m happy with the settlement, Lucy did a fantastic job, and I was kept informed and updated right the way through." P&O ferries was contacted for comment.