Accident Compensation Stories

TRIPPING HAZARD ON FLOOR IN DEPARTMENT STORE

accidentcompensationblog — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:10:21 +0000

Our client was shopping in a city centre department store. As she walked towards the counter to join the queue, she tripped over a plywood board shaped like a tray sticking out from one of the displays. The area was tight due to the addition of temporary stands which had been put up for Christmas displays. Our client had a plant in each hand and could not therefore put her arms out to save herself. She therefore fell headlong into the metal bar of another display cutting her scalp. On arrival at the hospital, she needed five stitches in the wound.

Our client also suffered extensive bruising to the right hand side of her body as a result of the accident.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of the department store because they:

a) failed to take reasonable care to see that our client would be safe using the premises;

b) permitted the floor to be a danger to people using it, and failed to give effective warning that there was a tripping hazard present on the floor;

c) permitted our client to walk along the floor when they ought to have known that it was dangerous to do so.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £2034 for our client’s injuries as a result of the accident.

COLLISION BETWEEN FORKLIFTS INJURES WORKER

accidentcompensationblog — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:03:31 +0000

Our client was at work driving his forklift truck in a warehouse when another employee drove a cherry picker forklift from a side aisle into his vehicle without warning. The collision caused our client to suffer severe back pain, for which he visited hospital and was signed off from work. Lawson-West began a compensation claim.

The accident was the fault of the other driver because she:

i. Drove too fast and failed to stop at a junction of the aisles

ii. Failed to keep a proper lookout and so failed to see our client

iii. Failed to give warning of her approach

iv. Failed to stop, slow down or manoeuvre the forklift truck she was driving to avoid the accident.

Under the health and safety at work regulations, the accident was ultimately the fault of our client’s employer for failing to provide our client with a safe place and system of work, and safe fellow employees.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £1850 for our client’s injuries and loss of earnings as a result of the accident.

SLIPPY RUG ON FLOOR LEADS TO TOE CRUSH INJURY

accidentcompensationblog — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:49:53 +0000

Our client was employed as a driver, required to pick up and drop off items at charity shops. On the day of his accident, he was collecting some items, in boxes, from the back store room of such a shop. The room was extremely cluttered, with numerous worn rugs of different types on the floor, some of them overlapping.

As our client started to leave the store room, one of the rugs slipped from beneath his feet, causing him to stumble and drop the box he was carrying onto his big toe. Lawson-West began an accident claim.

This accident was the fault of the shop because they:

a) Failed to take reasonable care to see that our client would be safe in the premises.

b) Allowed the area in question to be covered with mats that were a danger to our client.

c) Failed to remove the mat or otherwise apply a non-stick surface to it, so that it would not slip when walked upon.

d) Failed to give our client warning of the dangerous condition of the mat and allowed him to walk within the store room area, when they ought to have known that it was unsafe for him to do so.

As a result of the accident our client sustained a crush injury to his right big toe, resulting in severe bruising and swelling. He was unable to work for more than 4 weeks as a result of the injury. Lawson-West recovered just over £4,000 for our client’s injuries and loss of earnings as a result of the accident.

TAXI FIRM AT FAULT AS CAB INJURES MAN AFTER NIGHT OUT

accidentcompensationblog — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:36:29 +0000

Our client and a family member called a taxi after a night out. When the taxi arrived and our client was in the process of getting into it, the driver decided that he was not prepared to allow the two men in his vehicle because he could see they had been drinking. Our client already had his right leg in the vehicle at this point, when the driver pulled off from the kerb, causing him to fall backwards and hit both his head and his knee.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim.

The accident was caused by the negligence of the company which operated the taxi because the driver-

a) drove off without warning while our client was partly inside;

b) failed to wait until our client was clear of the vehicle or the door was shut before driving off;

c) drove too fast and failed to control the vehicle in order to avoid the accident.

Our client sustained a significant injury to his left knee, a soft tissue injury to his neck and head and was knocked out for a few minutes following the accident. He also suffered flashbacks for which he received counselling, and was unable to work for some time.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £4000 for our client’s injuries and loss of earnings due to the accident.

DOG BITE LEADS TO INJURY AND ANXIETY

accidentcompensationblog — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:13:33 +0000

As our client was driving along a residential street, she saw a large dog wandering on the road in front of her. Our client slowed as the dog moved onto the pavement, and cautiously wound down her window to see how friendly the dog would be if she was to get out and try to locate its owner. The dog appeared to be friendly and was wagging his tail.

Our client got out of her vehicle and followed the dog as it walked up the path of one of the houses, towards an iron gate that was open. As our client knocked on the front door to let the owners know their dog was loose, the dog launched itself and bit her on the back of her left leg just below the knee. There was no reply from the house owners so she quickly made her way back to her car. The incident was reported to the Police.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of the dog’s owners because they:

a) failed to muzzle the dog and allowed it to be free without a lead, with the result that it was able to bite our client;

b) failed to give our client any warning of the possibility of the dog becoming volatile and/or aggressive;

c) exposed our client to a risk of injury of which they ought to have known;

e) failed to ensure that their gate/fence was adequate to keep the dog securely contained.

As a result of the accident our client sustained a dog bite to her left leg including puncture wounds, which resulted in scarring. She also now suffers a fear of dogs. Lawson-West recovered over £4,200 for our client’s injuries.

FALLING POTS CAUSE SEVERE BRUISING

accidentcompensationblog — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:46:23 +0000

Our client was in a hardware store looking at a plant display when suddenly a stack of 5 large plastic plant pots fell off a shelf above her head and landed on her left foot. The sharp outer edge of the top of the first pot in the stack struck her foot heavily causing immediate pain and severe bruising.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of the store, because:

They allowed the stack of plant pots to become unstable which constituted a hazard,
Failed to remove the hazard created by the stack of plant pots so as to prevent them from falling off the shelf,
Failed to inspect the premises to ensure it was free of hazards generally,
Allowed our client to be in the vicinity of the shelving unit containing the plant pots when they ought to have known that it was unsafe and dangerous to do so,
Failed to warn our client of the dangers of being in the vicinity of the shelving unit containing the plant pots.

Our client also suffered raised blood pressure following the accident, causing headaches and lethargy. Lawson-West recovered £2,000 in compensation for our client’s injuries as a result of the accident.

FALL ON ICE LEADS TO BROKEN RIBS AND PUNCTURED LUNG

accidentcompensationblog — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:46:48 +0000

Our client is a coach driver who arrived at work very early one morning during a period of icy weather. As he made his way carefully to his coach in the parking area, both feet went from under him causing him to fall backwards, landing across his pilot case. Our client heard his ribs crack, and experienced violent pain such that he could not get up. Two other drivers who were on the scene came to his assistance and called for an ambulance. Our client was diagnosed with 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung and spent some time in hospital. A couple of weeks after going home he developed a violent pain in his left lung and he was readmitted to hospital with a diagnosis of pleurisy and pneumonia.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of our client’s employer who:

a) failed to ensure that the workplace had suitable and sufficient lighting;

b) failed to inspect the floor, failed to ensure that it was not slippery and failed to organise the workplace so that pedestrians could circulate in a safe manner;

c) allowed the surface of the yard to become dangerous and failed to clear the ice or to lay down grit, salt or sand to reduce the danger;

d) failed to warn our client of the fact that the area might be slippery through ice;

e) exposed our client to an unnecessary risk of injury.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £15,421 for our client’s injuries and loss of earnings, as he was unable to work for some time after his accident.

TOPPLING MACHINE CAUSES INJURIES TO WORKER

accidentcompensationblog — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:32:39 +0000

Our client was working as a production operative in a factory which makes food products. As she manoeuvred a heavy piece of equipment into the washroom for cleaning, one of the wheels became stuck in a defect on the floor, causing the machine to fall towards her.

Our client was struck on her shoulder and the top of her arm by the machine, and as she pushed it away, she hit her left wrist and forearm on it before it fell to the floor. As a result of the accident, she sustained a soft tissue injury to her wrist and shoulder, and ongoing discomfort.

Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of our client’s employer because they:

Failed to sufficiently assess or give our client proper training and information in relation to the handling and moving of the equipment.
Failed to take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of injury to the Claimant when moving the equipment.
Failed to ensure that the work equipment was suitable for the purpose and working conditions in which it was used.
Failed to warn our client of the dangers of moving the equipment, or prevent her from doing so.
Failed to ensure that the floor was suitable for the purpose for which it was used, and did not expose our client to a risk to her health and safety.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £3,000 for our client’s injuries as a result of the accident.

TRIP ON DEBRIS CAUSED BROKEN FINGER

accidentcompensationblog — Tue, 03 May 2011 09:07:26 +0000

Our client, who lives in an apartment block, was carrying rubbish to the chute along her corridor. The windows in the building had recently been replaced, and as our client returned to her flat she tripped on debris left on the floor by the window company.

Our client suffered a broken finger on her left hand, and anxiety as she was heavily pregnant at the time of the fall. Lawson-West began a personal injury claim.

The accident was the fault of the company contracted to replace the windows in the building because they:

Neglected to clear away the debris for a period of two weeks prior to the accident, when they should have known it was a hazard
Failed to inspect the area to ensure that the surface of the floor did not have any items on it likely to cause tripping accidents;
Failed by means of signs, notices, barriers or otherwise to warn visitors, or residents of the existence and location of the debris; and allowed then to use the floor when it was unsafe to do so.

Lawson-West recovered compensation of £3,000 for our client’s injuries as a result of the accident.

Faulty chair in caravan leads to fall

accidentcompensationblog — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:46:21 +0000

Our client had booked a midweek break in a holiday village in Sussex. On arrival, she was concerned about the condition of the caravan she had been allocated. The day after arriving, our client was sitting on a dining chair at the table in the caravan. As she started to get up the back rest of the chair, which was attached to the rear legs, came away from the seat of the chair, causing her to fall to the floor.
Lawson-West began a personal injury claim. The accident was the fault of the holiday village because they:
a) failed to remove the chair from the caravan, allowed it to present a danger to our client, and failed to warn her of the danger it presented;
b) failed to enforce an adequate system of inspection or maintenance of furniture within the caravan which might have ensured the chair was removed or repaired before our client’s accident;
c) failed to take adequate care for her safety .
As a result of the accident our client sustained a soft tissue injury to her left wrist, together with a soft tissue injury to her lower back and a bruised coccyx. Lawson-West recovered compensation of £1250 for her injuries.