East Lothian gran scalded by hot oil secures five-figure settlement after kitchen horror

Karyn Morgan was working at The Old Clubhouse in Gullane when she suffered agonising burn injuries to her legs and feet.

The 60-year-old – who had been a kitchen assistant at the restaurant for more than eight years – was preparing to clean the fryer filter when hot cooking oil from the nearby disposal bin poured onto the floor.

Karyn recalled: “The plastic at the top of the bin just started to melt. I tried to move away but it all happened so fast and the oil splashed onto my legs.

“I shouted on a colleague and then I felt like I blacked out from total shock.

“The next thing I remember is my leggings being cut off in the ambulance.”

The gran from East Lothian was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for initial assessment and quickly transferred to the Burns Unit at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.

Medics carried out extensive skin graft surgery to help cover the damaged tissue on Karyn’s lower legs and feet – she was in hospital for more than six weeks.

When hospital staff suggested she should seek legal help, Karyn contacted Digby Brown where she was put in touch with Catriona Headley, Partner in our Edinburgh office.

During her investigations Catriona found that the bin in use the day of the kitchen assistant’s workplace accident was an inappropriate container for the hot oil and that this was an unsafe system for the disposal of used cooking oil. 

This meant the Gullane establishment had failed in their duty to provide a safe place of work.

Catriona consulted with medical experts to fully calculate Karyn's losses – which included compensation for her injuries, any help and assistance that she may require in the future and private treatment costs.

She also took into account Karyn’s wage loss as she was off work for 14 months.

The 60-year-old said: “At the start of my recovery I couldn’t stand for long periods of time and would need to sit down to take a break – but the motion of sitting down was painful too.

“I missed going out walking but when I could go out I felt like I was holding everyone back – the pain made me slow.

“It’s really had an effect on me because I live alone and was so independent before the accident.”

After meeting with a psychological expert it was thought Karyn could benefit from CBT sessions to help her adjust to life after the accident – not just to build her physical and mental strength but to come to terms with her permanent scarring and any new changes to her routine.

She spoke of her recovery saying: “Every time I looked at my legs I would get flashbacks – I’d get quite teary. You can imagine how difficult that was when I had to put cream on my legs and feet a few times each day.

“For a long time I couldn’t even think about going back to work in that kitchen near the oil. Even frying an egg in my own kitchen was affecting me because the oil would spit.

“Now though I feel so much better mentally. It’s taken some time but the counselling has really helped me feel confident about moving forward.

“Physically I still get some tightness in my ankles especially in the colder weather but I’m feeling better about the scarring on my legs.

“Overall I’m ready for a fresh start.”

An initial offer of £75,000 was made to settle the workplace accident claim however Catriona believed this was too low and on her advice this offer was rejected by Karyn.

A short time later a further offer of £83,000 was received which was happily accepted.

Karyn expressed her thanks saying: “I was a bit apprehensive about making a claim because I wasn’t sure if I would face any backlash at work, but at the end of the day I’m so glad I came to Digby Brown.

“Catriona was very caring and I wasn’t expecting that from a solicitor. She did a really good job for me.

“I would tell anyone going through what I did to stay positive, it does get better.”