INXS lead guitarist Tim Farriss has fronted the NSW Supreme Court over a boating incident in 2015 that severed his left ring fingered and injured others.
As ABC reports, Farriss told the court he was forced into retirement due to the injuries, and his barrister said the reattached finger was "useless", while the resulting fallout had left the guitarist depressed.
Farriss is suing the operators of Sydney boat rental company Church Point Charter for negligence and breach of Australian Consumer Law, seeking special damages for loss of earnings and out-of-pocket expenses.
Back in 2019, when it was first revealed that Farris was taking legal action, he claimed he was not properly instructed on how to use the anchoring equipment on the Omega Clipper 34 boat hired.
“My hand was covered in rust, blood and mud, but I could see one of my fingers had been severed and the others were disfigured, badly lacerated and bleeding,” Farriss said in his evidentiary statement in 2019.
It was revealed in court that the boat’s foot-controlled deck buttons for the anchor stopped working and Farris was given instructions via text message before his hand was pulled into machinery where his finger was severed. He then underwent an 11-hour surgery to have it reattached.
Farriss’ legal team said that he should have been provided more instructions and that the equipment should have been maintained better while also being labelled with warning signs.
The case is expected to run all this week.
