A slip in a supermarket left our client out of pocket – Settlement £14,500
The Accident
Eleanor Buckley (pictured) was instructed by a lady who slipped and fell on a wet floor whilst shopping at her local supermarket. She reported the matter straight away before her friend drove her to a local hospital. She underwent an x-ray and was diagnosed with a fracture to her ankle. Her foot was immobilised in a cast and she was unable to work for eight weeks. She suffered a loss of earnings as a result and relied heavily on her friends and family to assist her with day-to-day activities such as shopping and cleaning.
The Case
Liability was denied at the outset as the Defendant’s insurers stated the supermarket employees had no recollection of the accident ever taking place. We provided them with a witness statement from the Claimant’s friend who was present at the time of the accident and were also able to speak with a passer-by who also assisted the Claimant following the accident. These statements were sent to the Defendant’s insurers who eventually admitted liability.
The Outcome
We obtained a medical report from a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon who recommended that our client should undergo physiotherapy to help her recover more quickly from her injury. We arranged this and it helped her achieve almost a full recovery. However, it was established following MRI scans that the accident had caused a very small tear to a tendon which would not heal fully without surgical intervention. The Claimant was not ready to undergo surgery and so we were able to include the cost of surgery on a private basis within her settlement. The Claimant received £14,500.00 plus legal costs.
Undertaking tasks you are not trained to do – Settlement £3000
Jonathan Stittle acted for a man in his twenties who worked for a well-known hotel chain. Normally the client worked as a waiter but on the day in question he was asked by his manager to move some heavy pallets with a pump truck. He had not been trained to do that task and lost control of the trolley when it was fully loaded and he was crushed against a wall.
Fortunately his injuries were not serious and the hotel’s insurers admitted liability at an early stage. He recovered compensation exceeding £3000 which included sums for his injuries, his lost earnings and travelling expenses.
His case is relatively common as we see a lot of cases where clients are asked to undertake tasks by employers which they are not trained to do.
If you would like advice on any type of personal injury claim, call our personal injury team on 0114 218 4000 or email us at P.I.Dept@tayloremmet.co.uk
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