Man Awarded $90,000 After Diving Injury at Bachelor Party

A man who suffered a severe neck injury after diving headfirst into a shallow pool at a bachelor party will receive approximately 350,000 shekels (about $90,000 USD) in compensation. The Netanya Magistrate's Court ruled that the owners of the guest complex and their insurance company, Phoenix, are jointly liable for the damages.

The incident occurred in June 2019 when the then 34-year-old victim was celebrating with friends. Shortly after arriving, he entered the pool, which was only about 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep, without checking the depth. His head struck the bottom, leading to a complex surgery to stabilize his neck vertebrae.

The victim sued the complex operators and their insurer, alleging a lack of warning signs about the shallow water or its depth. The defendants, represented by attorney Amihai Trozman, argued that the plaintiff, who is 1.95 meters tall, acted with extreme recklessness by jumping into the elevated pool without prior inspection.

Judge Noam Raf accepted the plaintiff's claim regarding the absence of signage, stating that failing to post clear warnings constituted negligence on the part of the owners. However, the judge also assigned the plaintiff 40% responsibility for the incident due to his own lack of caution.

Ultimately, the total damages were assessed at approximately 454,000 shekels. After deducting the plaintiff's share, the court ordered the defendants to pay him about 272,000 shekels, plus legal fees and expert witness costs totaling around 64,000 shekels.