A mum-of-two has started a £1million landmark legal action against a beauty salon over claims a botched hair treatment caused her to have – a STROKE.
Adele Burns went to the salon for a special day of pampering but says she was left with life-changing injuries.
She says stylists at Rainbow Rooms in George Square, Glasgow, washed the 47-year-old’s hair six times after failing to get the colour right.
But less than 24 hours later, Adele suffered a massive stroke.
She says medics linked it to her head being repeatedly pulled backwards into the salon basin which also allegedly did not have protective padding.
The nurse from Mid Calder, West Lothian, now hopes the court action – the first of its kind in Britain –will hold parlour bosses accountable and improve standards.
Adele said: “My life has been turned upside-down from what was meant to be a rare day out.
“With backing from my doctors, there is no doubt in my mind the salon caused the stroke.
“This hasn’t just left me isolated from society – I’ve been isolated from my own body.”
Adele visited the award-winning salon for a £200 cut-and-colour on 21 April 2016 as part of a special day out arranged by husband Campbell, 52.
After the five-hour appointment, she left with a headache but put it down to not getting a chance to eat while at the salon.
The following day Adele’s condition drastically deteriorated when she lost her sight and felt dizzy while cleaning the bathroom.
She rested for a minute where after gathering her strength crawled to the phone and called Campbell for help.
But after a few moments, she dropped the phone mid-conversation and passed out again.
Terrified Campbell rushed home and found his wife unable to speak or move and the right side of her face was drooping – he immediately called for an ambulance.
It was confirmed at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, West Lothian, that Adele suffered a stroke following dissection of the vertebral artery — a clot caused by trauma in the neck which stops blood getting to the brain.
The incident left Adele unable to drive which meant she couldn’t work and had to sell their home.
She also now struggles to speak, read, write and move yet never stops fighting to rebuild her life.
Adele added: “A stroke isn’t like a physical injury like a leg break where you take time out and heal then carry on as normal — it changes your life and the lives of those around you.
“I’ve completely lost my independence and I sometimes feel like my life is no longer my own.
“Campbell is my best friend and the right words don’t exist to express my love and gratitude for everything he does for me nowadays.
“What makes it harder to stomach is that what our lives have become was avoidable and I’m sure the salon know this too.
“I just don’t want anyone else to experience what is happening to us.”
Husband Campbell, who works as an IT manager, said: “My wife was an active and vibrant person but the hardest thing for me isn’t taking on domestic duties — it’s seeing her fight to keep the sparkle in her smile and eyes.
“I see myself as a problem solver who does what is needed to help us clear obstacles but it breaks my heart when I think this is one problem I’ll never be able to solve for my wife.
“The salon should be ashamed not just for what they did, but what they are doing now by dragging a vulnerable person through a stressful and avoidable legal action.”
Court papers state salon staff never asked Adele to attend for a ‘strand test’ before her appointment which would have prevented the need for her hair to be re-washed and re-coloured six times.
Documents also accuse the salon of negligence by failing to offer Adele a front-facing sink or provide neck protection during the treatment she received.
And medic reports show there is no history of strokes in Adele’s family history along with a CT scan which confirmed the stroke she suffered following the trip to the Glasgow parlour.
Jennifer Watson, associate at Digby Brown Solicitors and specialist beauty treatment lawyer, said: “A civil action against Rainbow Rooms is underway after our client’s life was undeniably altered following her appointment with their salon.
“Thousands of people will seek beauty treatment like this every year and Adele is incredibly brave in speaking out as a way of alerting others to the risks.
“Strokes caused by hair washes are not unheard of as there have been a handful of similar cases across the globe – however I’m not aware of anything similar having called in Scottish courts.
“This claim of negligence will be rigorously pursued but as it is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
