Our client was a lorry driver when he was involved in an accident at work. He was unloading packs of railway sleepers, weighing at least 2 tonnes, from the back of the lorry.
The packs were being removed from the lorry by one of the defendants who was using a skid-steer (a similar vehicle to a small digger but in this case fitted with prongs on the front instead of a digger bucket). The skid-steer was not powerful enough to lift the packs as they were, so they had to be separated.
Our client was stood on the lorry bed at the rear corner of one of the packs of timbers. He was in the process of cutting the steel band holding the pack together when the skid-steer came to remove them. Our client was knocked off the lorry bed onto the ground and two of the railway sleepers fell from the lorry and struck him in the face.
Our client suffered severe injuries requiring a six hour operation to rebuild his face. After a lengthy recovery, he has been left with long term problems with his jaw.
A claim was issued against Blakedown Landscaping Ltd and also Thomas Jennings trading as "Chemquad". The matter was listed for a trial on liability but after some fierce negotiation we managed to agree on a liability split without the need to go to Court.
The parties managed to agree compensation at £105,000 without the need to go to Court.
Back to Client Stories