Expert Personal Injury Lawyers Secure Settlement To Help With Treatment Costs
A man who suffered multiple injuries to his knee, shoulder and arm after falling in the car park of a department store in Birmingham has received a settlement to help with his recovery.Rufus Adegunloye, from Shard End, in Birmingham was walking across a car park to the main entrance of Latifs department store in Birmingham when he lost his footing on a piece of black plastic, he sustained bruising and swelling to his right elbow and forearm and soft tissue injury to his left knee.
The agency worker instructed specialist personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his case to see whether more could have been by Milton Discount Limited trading as Latifs to ensure the safety and well being of customers in the car park.
After an admission of liability for failing to provide a safe means of access and exit from their premises, failing to take any or reasonable care to see that all visitors would be safe in using the car park as a lawful visitor and failing to institute or enforce any adequate system of inspection of the car park whereby any hazards or debris would be detected and remedied before an accident could occur. All of the above being a clear breach of the duty of care owed under Section 2 of the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. Rufus has now received a four-figure settlement.
The 62-year-old reported the accident to the security guard who was duty at the time and sought treatment from his GP who had referred him for physiotherapy sessions.
Kelly Ferguson, an expert personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, representing Rufus, said: “Rufus suffered a number of injuries to his knee, shoulder and arm because health and safety guidelines were not correctly followed by Milton Discount Limited trading as Latifs. This accident could have been avoided if the area was clear from hazards.
“We are pleased that Milton Discount Limited trading as Latifs acknowledged their failings and admitted liability. Hopefully they will learn from this and will make sure that all public areas outside the store are properly maintained and cleared of any potential hazards to prevent others from being injured in a similar way.
“Rufus was affected by his injuries for around a year but thankfully we have now secured him a settlement so that he can move on from the incident.”
Rufus’ knee and forearm were both extremely painful and swollen for about six weeks after the accident and it took around 12 months for all of the injuries to completely heal. The settlement will help cover the cost of six physiotherapy sessions he needed to help with his movement and took painkillers to alleviate the pain.
Commenting on the case, Rufus said: “I am relieved that the case has now come to a conclusion. I had just parked my car and was heading to the entrance of the building when before I knew it I slipped and fell heavily to the ground. I felt the pain instantly and was in agony. I didn’t see the plastic at all as it was the same colour as the tarmac and should have been cleared away.
“After a number of physiotherapy sessions I have made a good recovery from my injuries. I hope that Milton Discount Limited and other firms learn lessons from this incident to make sure no one else gets injured.”