Compensation for fall at work

A woman from Worksop has been awarded an out-of-court settlement by her employers after a fall at work causing injury to her shoulder.

Sharon Scott of Carlton-in-Lindrick, Worksop, damaged her shoulder in November 2004 whilst working as a Teaching Assistant for Nottingham County Council at Portland School.

Her payout was secured with help from Lynne Parker, of personal injury claim experts Irwin Mitchell, based in Sheffield.

Ms Scott had worked for the school for 1 year. The accident happened while she made her way from one area of the school to another. She had to walk through an uneven paved area which caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground landing heavily on her right side.

Fall at work caused by uneven pavement

She said: "I was shocked and in immediate pain and two building contractors who were working in the area had to help me up. I subsequently attended the hospital for x-rays and was given painkillers before being discharged."

However, the pain in Ms Scott's shoulder did not ease and she therefore attended her GP and was informed that she had sustained muscle and ligament damage to her shoulder which would take quite some time to heal and physiotherapy would be required.

She said: "I was in constant pain and had limited movements of my shoulder for the first 2 months and because of this was not able to do all the things I would normally have. My daughter had to assist me around the house with things like cooking and housework."

Commenting on the payout, Miss Parker said: "Ms Scott's employer owed a duty of care to her and other staff and must ensure floors are even, and tripping hazards should be cleared to ensure accidents such as this do not occur."

Have you got a claim for a fall at work? If we can help you or someone you know with a similar case, please visit our Accidents at Work pages.