A Midlands man receives a £55,000 out of Court settlement after an accident at work resulted in a fractured ankle and a possible acceleration of rheumatoid arthritis.
The 42 year old concrete pump operator sustained the injury whilst working for a company based in Dudley. At the end of each shift Mr X was required to clean out the concrete pump that he operated. In order to do so he would have to stand on a grill which was placed over a hopper. As Mr X was standing on the grill, cleaning his pump as usual, his foot slipped between the metal bars on the grill, causing him to lose his balance. Mr X’s body fell over the side of the hopper, leaving him dangling with his left ankle still caught in the grill.
Mr X was wearing work issue steel toe cap boots at the time of the accident. It is believed that the metal bars on the hopper had been bent out of shape by a colleague who had chiselled dry concrete off the grill bars.
Mr X sustained a complicated fracture to his left ankle and it is thought that the trauma accelerated his rheumatoid arthritis.
Court proceedings were commenced against his employer and the matter was settled before a trial date had been set.
Mrs Toni Knott of Irwin Mitchell’s Personal Injury Team in Birmingham who represented Mr X, said: “It is essential that employers take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of injury to their employees. It was clear that Mr X’s employers did not have safe system for the cleaning work equipment and also did not have an sufficient system for inspection, maintenance and repair of the same. It is extremely unfortunate that this accident has been allowed to happen.”
If you've suffered a serious broken or fractured bone injury at work, our specialist serious injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation. See our Broken Bone Or Fracture Claims page or Workplace Accident Claims page for more information.
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