Lawnmower Accident

A man had to be rescued by the RNLI inshore lifeboat from a private island off the Dorset coast after he lost his toes in a lawnmower accident.

David Williams, 59, had to be taken to Poole Hospital after the lawnmower went over his foot

Mr Williams worked as a caretaker on the 15-acre Round Island, which is owned by Dorset building firm Harry J Palmer, and comprises of two holiday cottages next to a pier and small beach.

David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "Employers have a duty to ensure that workers are provided with suitable protective equipment for the work they are expected to carry out.

"The risk of workers employed to cut grass running over their feet is well known. If Mr Williams was working at the time of his accident Investigators would need to establish whether suitable footwear, which would have protected his feet, had been supplied to him and if they had been provided, why they did not prevent this incident.

"I represent many workers who have been injured or killed in industrial accidents in circumstances where their employers failed to adequately assess the risk of workplace accidents and failed to provide suitable protective equipment."