“…my head was in bits at the time, and it had a big impact on my life,” said Chelsea Hudson, from East Yorkshire
Chelsea Hudson plays goalball for Team GB.(Image: Hudgell Solicitors)
A blind sportswoman who hopes to represent Great Britain at the next Paralympic Games has received damages from major brand Superdry after an incident at one of its shops. Chelsea Hudson from East Yorkshire, walked into storefront shutters that were pulled down before the shop had officially closed.
The 19 year-old was in Nottingham with her boyfriend, who is also blind, when she struck her forehead on the bottom edge of the shutters and fell backwards. She suffered concussion, headaches and memory issues that are said to have lasted for nine months.
Chelsea said: “I have no idea why the shutters were pulled down – I guess they wanted to leave work early. It’s a good job I wasn’t wearing my platform heels as I’d have gone into the gates face-first.
“I only wanted to pop in to buy a belt, and I don’t actually remember hitting my head. I just remember a massive bang, stumbling backwards, and then being surrounded by loads of people. My head was all bruised and swollen and I struggled badly with concussion and a lack of concentration for months – it was a nightmare.
“I can still feel a line on my forehead, too, as I have ultrasensitive fingers from reading Braille. What happened was really wrong. At no stage did we get a formal apology from Superdry. And at no point did they give any assurances that something like this would ever happen again,” she claimed.
Chelsea plays goalball for Team GB women’s national team and hopes to represent her country at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. She claimed the injuries disrupted her training schedule and affected her grades when she sat her A-Levels only weeks after the incident.
Chelsea, who is a psychology student, added: “There were a few months when I couldn’t train which was really frustrating as I missed out on a training camp and a competition. But what was even more upsetting was that my grades completely dropped after (the accident).
“I didn’t get the results I was predicted because I had such a difficult time concentrating on my studies,” she claimed. “Everything’s worked out well in the end, but my head was in bits at the time, and it had a big impact on my life.”
Having been turned down by other law firms, Chelsea contacted Hull’s Hudgell Solicitors who managed to secure her compensation of £8,000 after Superdry & Co admitted liability.
Chelsea said: “I just kept getting turned away from solicitors as they didn’t think my injuries were severe enough to make a case. I felt like giving up, but Hudgells believed in me and saw the actual story behind the case.
“I’m so grateful for their help and support. They have been incredible from day one and I was delighted they got Superdry to admit they were at fault. Blindness is one of the forgotten disabilities that is so overlooked. Every day you hear of similar stories like mine – but nothing seems to get done about it.
“I’m OK now, and it’s exciting times with the Paralympics coming up, but even now I still feel emotionally nauseous about what happened.”
Chelsea was represented by Samantha Thompson, a senior litigation executive and team leader at Hudgell Solicitors. Samantha said: “As occupiers of the premises, Superdry has a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure visitors are safe. This did not happen and Chelsea suffered injury and loss because of employee negligence.
“We were able to find historical evidence of similar cases in which big firms were in breach of their statutory duties. We were therefore happy to take on Chelsea’s case, whereas other solicitors refused.
“We never shy away from taking on corporations and were always confident that we would secure Chelsea damages after she reached out to us for much-needed support.”
A Superdry spokesperson said: “This related to an isolated incident from early 2024, which has been resolved directly with the customer. It took place at our previous store location, which closed in 2025; Superdry & Co continues to trade in Nottingham from a new location.”
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