Bernice Spurgeon, Senior Associate, Legal Executive within the Claimant Personal Injury team secured a six-figure sum for a man who was involved in an accident at work, sustaining a serious ankle injury.
The individual (referred to as the Claimant) was working for a company that installed gym equipment and in order to remove the old equipment and install new it was necessary for them to be carried up and down a large number of stairs. No health and safety training had been given to the employee. He was being assisted by 2 other members of staff but was carrying the heavier end of the equipment which prevented him seeing where he was going and he fell down a step causing the gym equipment to land on top of him, trapping his foot and causing it to twist awkwardly. The accident caused a Lisfranc type injury (i.e. a fracture/dislocation injury) in which the metatarsals are displaced from the tarsus. He underwent surgery and despite extensive rehabilitation he had ongoing symptoms with pain, swelling and loss of strength, causing his walking distance to be reduced.
During the three years, Ellisons Solicitors were able to obtain an admission of liability, following detailed discussions with the insurers and secured an interim payment to fund treatment with an Orthotic/Podiatrist to allow specialist orthotics to be fitted into his specialist footwear to assist with the pain. The Claimant needed to retrain to have an occupation that would not aggravate the injury and the retraining costs were included within his claim. He has ongoing treatment needs and this has been factored into his settlement figure.
The Defendant’s insurers started low with their settlement proposals and Ellisons Solicitors were able to successfully negotiate this from a five figure sum to a six figure sum, which the Claimant was delighted to accept. The Claimant stated after conclusion :-
“Thank you for the great settlement offer and the work you have done on my case. This is fantastic news and I am over the moon! You have been brilliant the whole way through so thank you so much!
It has been a great pleasure and if I hear anyone else going through the same as I have or someone who wants to claim I shall be mentioning yourself at Ellisons. Honestly I am very thankful for your patience and for being so understanding with my delays in replying. I have probably been one of the slowest clients you have had. Again, thank you so much for being my solicitor. What a journey it has been and thank you for such a great outcome, you have one happy client.”
The Ellisons’ Claimant Personal Injury team is available to guide you through the process of reviewing your claim, securing private medical treatment and rehabilitation wherever needed and to recover the compensation you are entitled to.
