Our client, Mr C*, approached Farleys’ Personal Injury team some years after suffering an accident at work.
He was working as a fishmonger at the time of the accident. He was carrying a tray of salmon at the back of his workplace when he tripped and fell, landing heavily onto his outstretched right hand. He suffered life-changing injuries to his right, dominant wrist as a result of the fall in the form of ruptured ligaments.
Mr C’s injury required surgery at the hospital. Unfortunately, the initial surgery failed and, despite further surgeries and treatment to attempt to fix his wrist, he still suffers the long-term effects of the fall nearly eight years after the accident.
He is unable to lift anything heavier than a shopping bag with his right hand. He is unable to partake in previous hobbies such as gardening, DIY, and cooking to the same extent as prior to his accident.
As a result of the difficulty Mr C had doing work which involved heavy lifting after his injury and his restricted movement in his wrist, he was no longer able to work in a fishmonger. This was a role he had held for some years and which he had enjoyed immensely. As this was the only type of work Mr C had experience in, he is left needing to retrain in order to be able to return to work and therefore to support his family.
Mr C suffered continuous pain and complications before he made the decision to approach Farleys about the possibility of making a claim for compensation to cover what he had lost as a result of the accident.
Farleys’ personal injury team instructed medical experts to examine Mr C and establish the long-term effects of the injury to his wrist. It was agreed by the medical experts instructed by both the parties that Mr C had been rendered permanently unfit to work as a fishmonger and, as such, has been placed at a significant disadvantage on the open labour market as a direct result of the accident.
The injury has also had a significant impact on his mental health, for which he has required medication and therapy.
Court proceedings were issued on behalf of Mr C in order to recover damages for his injuries. The case was listed for Trial on more than one occasion, and an adjournment of the Trial was successfully obtained by Mr C’s solicitors due to a deterioration in his wrist. Interim payments were obtained to fund surgery on a private basis, and to cover Mr C’s loss of earnings while he was recuperating from the operations.
Farleys successfully negotiated a settlement of over £275,000 on Mr C’s behalf.
Nick Molyneux, Partner in Farleys’ personal injury team, said,
“This accident has had a considerable impact on Mr C’s life; not only his working life but also aspects of his home life too.
“We were delighted to have been able to achieve this excellent settlement for Mr C which will allow him to move on with his life, fund any future treatment he needs and retrain so that he can get back into work as soon as possible.”
Mr C commented,
I would just like to add that the whole process was conducted in an excellent, professional manner yet still felt very personal with fantastic support from start to finish.
Mr C was advised by Nick Molyneux of Farleys Solicitors and Joseph Mulderig of Nine St John Street Chambers.
If you have been injured following an accident at work. Speak to Farleys’ personal injury team about the possibility of making a claim for compensation. Call 0333 331 4363 or contact us by email.
*Our client’s name has been anonymised to protect their privacy.