BA passenger brain damaged after slipping on spilt Baileys is accused of exaggerating disability as friend tells court he saw him ‘working and training to sail boat on Med’

Andreas Wuchner is seeking £4 million from British Airways, claiming a fall on spilled Baileys at Heathrow left him with permanent brain damage and severe migraines that stopped him working. His former friend has challenged the extent of his disabilities, and a judge has ordered BA to pay £100,000 in interim compensation while the dispute over damages continues.

Wuchner fell in November 2017 while carrying his luggage and four hot drinks as he hurried to catch a flight to Zurich. A judge ruled in 2024 that BA was liable for the accident, but found Wuchner 20 per cent responsible because he was rushing while balancing the drinks, reducing any eventual award by that amount. His former associate says Wuchner has travelled, pursued business interests and gained a boating licence in Croatia; Wuchner’s barrister dismissed these claims as “tittle tattle” from a disgruntled former friend.