Irwin Mitchell’s serious injury solicitors secured funds to help the recovery and rehabilitation of a HGV driver who suffered a fractured skull after an accident at work.
Our client, Paul, was on site unloading a delivery in November 2012 when he got onto the back of the trailer to steady some freight boxes that a forklift driver was unloading. While he was on the trailer some freight fell on top of him and pushed him into the door. The door was pushed open and he fell backwards, cracking his head on the concrete seven feet below.
He was taken to Hillingdon Hospital in London and then later transferred to St Mary’s Hospital in London, where he stayed for 10 days after doctors found a bleed on his brain. His wife and daughter were so worried they flew down from Scotland to be by his side.
Paul contacted expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate whether there had been a breach of the health and safety guidelines by his employer and by DHL, who loaded the lorry with the freight.
Specialist treatment
Despite no admission of liability from his employers, Paul’s legal team at Irwin Mitchell secured a £250,000 settlement to cover his loss of earnings from being off work and to help cover specialist treatment to aid his recovery.
Laura Murphy, a serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s London office who represented Paul, said: “Following the investigation and expert evidence we gathered, it was revealed that the correct safety procedures which should have been in place to protect the wellbeing of employees was not followed.
“We understand that since then, Paul’s employer has ensured that the guidelines are in place, and has improved the working environment for all of their employees.
“Sadly this comes too late for Paul and he is still continuing to recover from the shocking incident. The settlement we have now secured will help him continue to access the specialist treatment and rehabilitation he needs to help rebuild his life after suffering such serious injuries.”
After his initial treatment in London, Paul was transferred by ambulance to Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Glasgow in December 2012. His condition started to improve and he was able to see his friends and family. He was finally discharged from hospital on 14 December 2012 and able to go home for the first time since the accident.
Traumatic ordeal
His wife said: “Paul has been through such a traumatic ordeal and we are still coming to terms with it all even now over a year on. His recovery has been quite slow and there are some things which have not gone back to normal but hopefully the settlement will help us speed things up and get our lives back on track.
“Paul was never one to sit still; he used to do all the gardening, DIY around the house and would help me with the household chores. Since the accident he has not been able to do any of these activities and has only just had his driving licence reinstated at the end of last year. Before this I was responsible for taking him to all of his appointments as well as getting the children to school.
“The accident has had such a huge impact on our lives. Paul has struggled with his recovery and has been quite down as he loved working and providing for his family. He still has a number of on-going problems, such memory loss, especially about things that happened around the time of the accident; he gets tired very quickly and can get very irritable and impatient at times.
“One of the most difficult things for us throughout it all was that we did not know what the future would bring for us. We are very grateful for all the help we have received from Irwin Mitchell and also services such as head injury charity Headway who have helped Paul throughout his recovery.”
If you or a loved one has suffered a head or brain injury at work, our specialist serious injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation. Visit our Brain & Head Injury Compensation Claims for more information.
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