Irwin Mitchell recently recovered £22,500 in an out of court settlement for a client who was injured during the course of her employment as a pharmacy manager.
At the time of the accident, our client was wearing flat shoes with insoles as she went onto the shop floor and was walking behind the counter. This area of the floor is not carpeted and has a hard shiny surface. One of her colleagues had removed some items from a blue nylon bag and had thrown the bag onto the floor at the side of the counter. As our client made her way round the counter she put out her foot which caught on the blue nylon bag, causing her foot to slide sideways. She fell forwards onto the floor, injuring her hip. Her right leg went behind her body and she ended up in the splits position.
As a result of the accident, our client was unable to weight bear. X-rays were undertaken which revealed a fracture of her pelvis and a break in the subchondral bone plate. She also sustained bruising to her bottom and back. Our client was admitted to hospital and put onto skin traction for three weeks. She was then allowed to mobilise by hopping and using a zimmer frame for four weeks, and a wheelchair.
Following the accident our client had to get upstairs on her bottom. She had difficulty sleeping and took painkillers in the form of Tramadol and Oramorph four times a day. She also underwent a course of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy treatment and progressed to walking with the aid of a stick. She required assistance from friends and family with shopping, gardening, pet care, making meals, cleaning, washing and ironing as well as personal assistance with bathing and dressing. She was unable to drive for five months and was off work for six months, having a phased return working part-time hours.
Kerry Hadley from Irwin Mitchell’s specialist personal injury team pursued this case on behalf of our client, in order to gain justice for the injuries that she had suffered as a result of the accident. The Defendants admitted liability and a positive outcome was achieved, with the case being settled in June 2012.
If you've been injured as a result of a slip or trip at work, our personal injury lawyers could help you claim compensation. Visit our Workplace Slip & Trip Compensation page for more information.
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