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Back Injury at work

We acted for Miss E - a residential care worker who injured her back when a resident in the care home where she worked, lost his balance and fell on top of her. We recovered £20,000.

Back injury caused by moving metal handrails

Our client worked for a company which specialised in weatherproofing and insulating roofs and balconies. He was working on a fourteenth floor balcony, clearing the area for laying insulation, and he and a colleague moved some metal handrails which had been left in the way by another firm of contractors. Our client injured his back as a result and was treated initially with injections, eventually having to undergo an operation to remove one of the discs in his back. He had to have a lot of time off work sick, and was eventually made redundant from his job. We settled the case just before trial for £45,000 plus payment of our client's legal costs.

Back injury in hotel in Mexico

Mrs A injured her back when she slipped on a wet marble floor in a hotel in Mexico, just two days into her holiday. She had a very unpleasant time in a hospital in Mexico before she had to fly home. Her holiday was completely ruined. At home she managed to struggle back to work. Liability was never admitted for the accident which had to be dealt with under Mexican law but because Mrs A was travelling with a package tour she could take advantage of the Package Tour Regulations and was able to bring the claim in England. The claim was successfully settled for £12,500.

Back seat passenger sustains spinal injuries

We acted for a client who was seated in the back of a friend's car which went out of control. The car rolled down an embankment landing on its roof. Our client had to be carried out of the car through the rear window and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Unfortunately she sustained a severe fracture to her spine which required internal fixation with rods and screws. Our client had to wear a back brace for a prolonged period of time and as a result of continuing pain, she underwent further surgery to remove the metal work some 18 months later. The claimant suffered considerable pain and loss of mobility which affected all aspects of her life. The expert evidence indicated that it was likely that she would develop degenerative changes in her spine within 20-30 years, she could only work in a limited capacity and would need assistance if she has children in the future. We secured a settlement of almost £88,000.

Businessman accident stopped him working

Mr T ran a successful business until he had a car accident which caused the back problem that he already had to get worse. He tried to carry on his business but could not do so and had to give up work. He was the sole owner of his limited company. His loss of profit was taken into consideration in his claim and the settlement was £150,000.

Care workers lifting injury

Mrs O was a care worker working in an old people's home and employed by the London Borough of Camden. Part of her job was to help lift patients. As a result of the Council's unsafe lifting practices, she developed a back injury which prevented her from working. She was awarded £90,000 at trial.

Fall from third floor flat

Our 2 ½ year old client was placed on a window ledge by his 13 year old brother. Our client crawled along the window ledge and fell through a window which was missing its pane of glass, falling three storeys onto the grass below. Despite fracturing his L2 verterbra, he was fully recovered 8 months after the accident. We sued the owners of the flats who denied liability, blaming a lack of care from the brother or the parents. However they we were able to persuade them to accept full responsibility and they paid our client £3,200 in compensation.

Road traffic accident causing fractured neck and skull

Our client was involved in a road traffic accident shortly before she was due to go up to university. She suffered a fractured neck and fractured skull. Fortunately she made a good recovery from her injuries and gained her degree. Our client transferred instructions to our firm from a non-specialist firm. Liability was admitted by the Defendant but our client conceded that she was not wearing her seatbelt and agreed a deduction of 20%. Shortly before trial the Defendant made an offer which was close to Counsel's valuation of her claim. We continued to negotiate and the Defendant increased their offer to £61,500.

Nurse's lifting injury

Ms S, a Nursing sister, injured her neck while moving a large immobile patient in bed. Ms S's injury meant that she was unable to return to 'hands-on' nursing although she found a clinic-based job, which did not involve any lifting or moving. Ms S had had two previous firms of solicitors acting for her. Neither firm had managed to understand the case properly nor obtain the appropriate expert medical evidence. We did and as a result obtained £70,000 compensation for our client.

Pedestrian knocked over by uninsured driver

We acted for Miss Q who was knocked over by a driver who was uninsured. She suffered injury to her neck and back and we recovered £5,000 for her.

Rear end shunt on motorway sliproad

A business man was injured when a car ran in to him on a slip road coming off a motorway. He suffered the symptoms of a whiplash type injury for about 6 months, though he could not afford to take time off work. Liability for the accident was admitted and we settled the claim for him for £2,500.

Rescuer falls on railway line

Ms M climbed over her rear garden wall of her Council house to rescue a child stuck on a ledge on the railway cutting wall. She fell and broke her back. She was confined to a wheelchair for life and had her young daughter to care for. We sued the railway authority and the Council both of whom denied liability until the morning of trial. After some negotiation at court we secured very substantial damages to enable her to adapt her house and provide other necessities for the future.

Sash window falls on cleaners back

Mr B was employed as a cleaner and maintenance man. One of his tasks involved clearing a roof space of litter. The only way out onto the roof was to hoist himself through an old sash window, which had to be propped open with a mop handle. He had complained about this aspect of the job but had been told to "get on with it". However, one day, as he was struggling through the window, the mop handle was dislodged, and the sash came down on his back. Court proceedings were issued against his employers for unsafe working practices. The consultant spinal surgeon we instructed for the case reported that the accident had damaged our client's spine, but that this had exacerbated a pre-existing problem which Mr B would eventually have suffered from even had he not had his accident. The case settled (with an admission of liability) for £23,000.

Scaffolding Accident

Mr D was 33 years old when he was working for a sub-contractor fitting fire doors at a nuclear bunker site in Northwood. He slipped from a scaffold platform, fell 2 metres, and sustained a fracture to his spine at T12, and left scapula. He was off work for 1 year and we recovered £125,000 in compensation for him.

Serious whiplash

Ms S was in a car involved in a collision with another vehicle. She suffered a whiplash injury. At first it was thought that she would make a recovery within a few months but as time went on it became apparent that the injury would have a permanent effect and she had to undergo several operations including spinal fusion. We took this case over from other solicitors who had advised that settlement would be appropriate in the region of £6,000. We eventually settled the claim at the court door for a six figure sum.

Student nurse suffers serious back injury at work

We acted for a student nurse who injured her back at work after working on a very busy ward which was chronically short staffed. She was therefore required to assist many patients without a break and without supervision. She developed back pain after 5 hours work due to the cumulative strain. She was later diagnosed with a prolapsed disc. She returned to work some months later after having treatment with an osteopath.

Just over one year later our client slipped on a wet floor at work and again injured her back. Gradually her back symptoms deteriorated and she was admitted to hospital due to numbness in the lower par of her body and an inability to pass urine. She underwent emergency decompression surgery to her spine but unfortunately there was a delay and she was left with permanent injuries which meant that she was unable to control her bladder or her bowel naturally due to Cauda Equina Syndrome. She therefore had to self catheterise and use medication to open her bowels for the rest of her life.

We instructed an expert spinal surgeon who said that in his opinion the delay in spinal surgery was negligent and led to her symptoms of Cauda Equnia Syndrome being more severe than they would have been had she received timely surgery. Therefore it is likely that she would have suffered from some permanent symptoms even if there had been no delay in her surgery. This was a very complicated case because we had to establish which accident caused which damage to her back. This was further complicated by the alleged negligent treatment by the hospital and the fact that although she was young she had pre existing degeneration in her spine.

We obtained an interim payment for our client while the litigation was progressing and issued separate court proceedings in relation to the two accidents at work and the negligent treatment. We managed to settle all claims prior to a court hearing. We obtained £290,000 compensation for our client as a result of the accidents at work and alleged negligent treatment.

Taxi driver off work

Mr A was a London taxi driver who sustained whiplash injury to his neck and shoulder in a road traffic accident, as a result of which he was unable to work for 12 weeks. He had completely recovered within 1 year and was awarded £4,000 in compensation.

Welding Accident

We acted for Mr C who was employed as a welder and was injured in the course of welding 2 pipes together. He suffered injury to his neck and head and we recovered £31,000 for him.

Whiplash causing depression and loss of employment

Ms M had a whiplash injury in a road accident. She had a senior job in a local authority and could no longer work at the job she loved. Her symptoms became chronic and she got depressed. The case was settled for £220,000.