What’s my claim worth have successfully settled the claim for a client who was injured while carrying out heavy lifting at work.
Our client had been employed working at a large resort style retail attraction which had shops and family funfair style attractions.
Our client instructed us that he was asked to move a large carpet shelf, a shelf upon which a roll of carpet had been stored. The shelf needed moving as a carpet warehouse within the site was being moved.
Although our client had had manual handling training, the shelf he was being asked to move was simply far too large for our client and his colleague to safely move by hand, it should have been lifted by a forklift or some other form of mechanical lifting.
In lifting the shelf our client sustained a soft tissue injury to his back.
Our client had two days off work and his manually handling back injury persisted for approximately eight weeks.
When we were initially instructed it was 18 months after our client’s accident. Additionally our client intended going travelling to Australia for a year a few months after he instructed us.
Therefore it was important that we arranged for our client to be medically examined for the purposes of his claim quickly after we received instructions. Otherwise there would have been difficulties in completing our client’s claim before the expiry of the three year limitation period which applies to most personal injury claims.
We were able to obtain a medical report for our client before he went to Australia and we were then able to conclude the remainder of his claim corresponding with him via email.
Initially the Defendant, our client’s former employer, and their insurers denied liability for our client’s accident.
We were able however to persuade the Defendant’s insurers that their denial of liability was flawed and the Defendant’s insurers then admitted liability for the accident.
Subsequently we were able to successfully negotiate a settlement of our client’s claim. For his minor back injury and two days lost earnings our client received £2,500 compensation.
There are various reasons for manual handling injury claims and these include:
- Lifting heavy stock claims
- Lifting heavy parcels claims
- Lifting equipment which is too big
Many are associated with back injuries from lifting.
