Pryers win settlement of £40,000 for medical negligence claim. A lady suffered a year of pain and suffering after she was given the wrong operation to fix her elbow following a fracture. She suffered from prolonged pain and this impacted upon her work and ability to live a normal life for a period until she underwent revision surgery.
Pensioner awarded £17k after hotel fall
October 28th, 2009
A woman who was injured after being knocked over by a dog in a hotel car park has been awarded damages of £17,000.
Violet Mullock, 69, had been waiting for a lift home after attending a function at the Elms Hotel and restaurant near Chester in 2003.
However, as she stood in the dark, the barman’s dog ran towards her and knocked her off her feet.
Ms Mullock had to have surgery on her knee and also badly hurt her elbow. She took legal action against the hotel’s owner Thomas Price and has been awarded compensation of £17,500 following a recent hearing.
Mr Price has now applied to the Financial Services Authority in order to cover the payout after being let down by his insurance company.
Anyone who is injured after a fall in a public place may be eligible for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in personal injury claims.
£57k for binman injured in pavement fall
September 30th, 2009
A man who had to give up his job as a refuse collector after being injured in a fall has been awarded compensation for the accident.
Alan Shambrook, 55, was collecting rubbish in July 2005 when he tripped over a damaged section of the footpath in Stevanage.
He badly hurt his shoulder and elbow, as well as his left knee. The victim had to take 15 months off work and was forced to change jobs because he cannot lift his arms above his head.
"The injury has been painful and changed my life dramatically," Mr Shambrook commented.
He took legal action against Hertfordshire County Council for not maintaining the pavement properly and has now been awarded £57,000 in compensation.
Local councils are responsible for keeping their footpaths and roads in safe order and regular checks must be carried out by officials to make sure of this.
Anyone who has been injured on a section of pavement that has not been checked may be eligible to make a claim for compensation.
‘Significant payout’ for man in hospital blunder after crash
July 10th, 2009
A man whose serious leg injury was not spotted by hospital staff has been awarded a significant compensation payout.
Bret Ravenhill, 29, had been riding his motorbike in July 2002 when he was involved in an accident, the Sheffield Star reports.
He was taken to Barnsley District General Hospital where he was treated for elbow and facial injuries, but his left leg was simply put into a plaster cast.
When he was transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, the severity of his leg injury was noticed and a surgeon examined it, but it was too late for treatment.
Mr Ravenhill had to have his leg amputated below the knee.
"The one place I didn’t expect trouble was in hospital. It’s been difficult to come to terms with losing my leg," he commented.
Barnsley Hospital admitted negligence and has awarded an undisclosed but "significant" payout to the victim.
Figures from the Department for Transport show that although motorcyclists account for only one per cent of traffic in the UK, they make up 20 per cent of those killed or seriously injured in accidents.
Cleaner receives £80k compensation after bakery fall
March 10th, 2009
A man who fell 14 feet off a ladder has secured compensation after he was forced to retire.
Jeffery Phillips, 59, had worked at Gunstones Bakery in Dronfield for 11 years when he was asked to clean the top of a divider machine in preparation for a customer visit in 2006, the Sheffield Telegraph reports.
However, the ladder he was using to reach the top of the machine slipped and Mr Phillips fell to the floor, breaking his hip, fracturing his elbow and hurting his hand.
He needed a hip replacement and was forced to give up work.
Mr Phillips took legal action against Gunstones Bakery, which admitted liability and agreed to an out-of-court settlement of £80,000.
"I decided to pursue compensation because I wanted the company to take full responsibility for the accident," the victim said.
He added that he had never received training in the use of ladders and would not want a similar fate to happen to anyone else for the same reason.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, ladders accounted for the greatest number of major injuries to employees due to both high falls (40 per cent) and low falls (28 per cent) in 2007-08.
