A soldier medically discharged from the Army after sustaining serious injuries to both his ankles has secured over £230,000 in compensation, through the hard work of specialist Armed Forces solicitors at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office.
In September 2007, our client, Ben Martin commenced his training with the Parachute Regiment, having already served with the RAF Regiment for 18 months.
On the fifth day of training, he and his company were given orders to attempt the assault course called 'The Trainasium'. Despite having no experience, Ben was told to run along an elevated plank of wood, jump over a 15 foot gap while performing a ‘Superman jump’ and land on the other side into a cargo net. It was while performing this particular manoeuvre that Ben missed the cargo net and fell injuring both of his ankles.
He fractured his right ankle which required fixation with three screws and ruptured the ligaments in his left ankle. Both his ankles were placed in plaster casts and he remained in a wheelchair for several months.
Ben had to have three more operations and attended physiotherapy for approximately 18 months. He has since been told that there is a 15% increased risk of secondary arthritis.
The MoD initially denied liability for Ben’s accident. However, through the perseverance of the Irwin Mitchell Armed Forces team, the MoD finally admitted full liability.
Ben was medically discharged from the Army in January 2009. Before the incident, he wanted to remain in the Army for as long as possible. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and two uncles, who had all served in the Army. After leaving the service, Ben planned on joining the Police. Unfortunately, those plans were shattered since post-injury as Ben is capable of performing only light to moderate work.
The Irwin Mitchell Armed Forces Team worked very hard to secure a just and appropriate level of compensation for Ben, and in August 2012, following successful negotiation with MoD solicitors, a settlement was reached and Ben received a sum of £239,342.
In addition to the compensation awarded for his injuries, Ben received an additional payment from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in the sum of £13,158.
If you or a loved one has suffered unduly due to an accident whilst training in the military, our
military injury claims team could help you to secure compensation. Visit our
Military Training Injury Claims page for more information.
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