TORONTO (Reuters) -
A stripper mauled by a tiger in an
Ontario safari park has won C$800,000 ($650,000) in damages
because her scars meant she could no longer work, Canadian
media said on Friday.
Jennifer-Anne Cowles was driving through the park nearly
nine years ago with her then boyfriend when a tiger jumped into
their car and tried to drag them away. The two insisted their
windows had been shut when the tiger charged, although the park
had challenged that.
The judge accepted the couple's testimony that the power
windows had been inadvertently lowered when one of the big cats
bumped against the car, frightening them.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday and reported in a number
of Canadian newspapers, Justice Jean MacFarland said she could
only imagine the "stark terror experienced by these young
people during this horrendous event."
She awarded Cowles over C$800,000 in damages, almost half
of it to compensate for income she would have made as a
stripper.
Her musician boyfriend, David Balac, won C$1.7 million,
because his injuries left him unable to work as an accordion
player.
African Lion Safari, near Hamilton, Ontario, west of
Toronto, said it is reviewing the ruling, but it insisted the
park was safe.
"Hundreds of millions of people drive through safari style
parks worldwide every decade and there are very few incidents
causing injury," it said in a statement. "It is one of the
safest activities you can do with your family."
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