Our expert team here at The Injury Lawyers have once again helped another accident victim recover compensation for an injury sustained at work.
Our client was instructed to take a 19kg box from one property to another. Despite their best efforts at trying to load the box in to a car, a lower-back disc injury was sustained resulting in immediate pain and a requirement for treatment.
Having assessed the circumstances, our team were confident there was a case to answer for here.
About the accident
Our client was forced to take several months off work and undergo physiotherapy treatment to help alleviate the symptoms of the injury. As with many back injuries of this nature, pain, spasms, and general discomfort had to be endured for a number of months.
A number of key factors were included in the case, such as our client’s reduced mobility; struggles with personal hygiene; and being unable to participate in physical hobbies. Sleep and generally getting comfortable were also disturbed.
Thankfully, our client did not suffer any neurological symptoms or lasting injuries. In accidents involving the spinal cord, it’s not unusual for the injured person to suffer serious neurological injuries or a disability, especially due to a trapped or damaged nerve. You could argue that our client was lucky, but even with what can be seen as minor back injuries there is often a great deal of pain and suffering to endure.
How we won the case
Prior to the accident, our client had never received any manual handling training and was not offered any help in moving the box. This is major red flag as employers must follow health and safety laws to make sure their workers are kept safe and sound when carrying out tasks for them. There are specific health and safety laws for manual handling as well, so there is simply no excuse.
Our client’s employer owed the victim a duty to ensure they could not be put at harm. Sometimes, employers have to ask their workers to do something for the benefit of the company that does not form a part of their usual duties, but that doesn’t absolve them from the responsibility for ensuring they’re not at risk of injury. In these circumstances, they have a duty to provide necessary training, assistance and equipment to limit the risk. For our client, the employer shouldn’t have instructed them to transport the heavy box alone and without proper training.
The result of the case
As a result of the employer’s negligence, our client suffered a painful injury, loss of income, reduced mobility and had to undergo physiotherapy. If proper training and assistance had been provided in the first place, this injury could have been totally avoided.
Our client contacted our expert team and asked for help to recover compensation. We were happy to offer a No Win, No Fee service, and having assessed the available evidence and instructed a medical expert to examine the client and write up a report on the extent on the injuries, we settled the case for £7,000.00.
