Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Scaffolder Compensated for Serious Injury at Work
2nd May 2012
In a recent case, our expert personal injury solicitors acted on behalf of a man who badly injured his foot in an accident at work and was left with a permanent disability. His personal injury claim was successful and he received more than £200,000 in compensation.
Accident Caused by Workplace Hazard
At the time of his workplace accident, our client was altering some scaffolding so that it would be possible to pass large objects through it. After he finished the job he began to descend the scaffold ladders to get back down.
There was a barrier around the ladders, with self-closing gates for access. The gate at the base of the ladders had been left in an open position by someone else during the time he was working on the job and had become stuck this way, but he was not made aware of this. His foot came into contact with the gate as he made his way down, which caused him to fall. He struck his heel against the ground with considerable force and caught his leg on the gate.
Our client suffered a badly fractured heel and also injured his ankle and leg. Surgery was necessary to repair the broken bone and he had to use crutches for 8 weeks after leaving hospital, followed by a long course of physiotherapy treatment and some injections to relieve the pain. Unfortunately however he was left with a degree of permanent disability and was unable to return to the same type of work or continue some home and leisure activities of a more physical nature.
Compensation Claim
The injured employee was put under financial strain by the accident, as he incurred a significant loss of earnings. He felt that his personal injury could have been prevented if better health and safety measures had been in place, so he instructed our specialist lawyers to assist him in making a compensation claim against his employer.
We asserted that the gate was sited too close to the foot of the ladder and positioning it differently could have prevented the accident. It had also been left open by another employee in error and without our client being warned.
Expert medical reports we obtained, detailing the extent of our client’s injuries, were submitted to the other side and we secured interim payments to help with his financial needs whilst the case was in progress. We then negotiated with the defendants in respect of a suitable settlement of damages. Our client was compensated in respect of his injuries, financial losses and expenses related to the accident.
Personal Injury Advice
If you have suffered an injury due to an accident at work, or any other accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to make an injury claim.
At The Legal Line our lawyers have extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of avoidable accidents, including serious injury cases. We can provide you with specialist accident claim advice on a cost-free, confidential basis.
Contact us on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.
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