Man injured by chainsaw at work

Martin was employed as a Tree Surgeon by a local company in Aberdeen when the accident happened.

“I went to work one day and was cutting down and grinding stumps using a chainsaw when a nail was in the middle of the stump – there was no way to see it as it was overgrown – but the saw kicked back and went directly into my knee.

“I was taken to hospital straight away and had surgery the next day.”

Employer provided no training on using a chainsaw

Martin suffered from a laceration to his knee and luckily, he made a quick recovery. The wound healed within a few weeks and he was expected to fully recover after 6 months.

However, Martin’s employer had never put him, or the rest of the staff, through any training to use a chainsaw. He did not have any licence or certificates to use one – but was still expected to.

“I was able to go back to my job but I had a fear of chainsaws after that. I was very wary if I had to use one but even though I still hadn’t been put through my test, I was still expected to use a chainsaw at work.”

Should have been trained properly

It was a couple of years later before Martin decided to pursue a claim for injury compensation.

“I thought about what happened and the way my boss treated me after the accident and decided to get in touch with Digby Brown. I should have been trained properly. It was their fault the accident at work had happened.”

Digby Brown for work injury claim

Solicitors from the Digby Brown Aberdeen office represented Martin throughout his work injury claim.

“My solicitor was fantastic. They were always on the ball about everything - all the time. They led me all the way through the process – what came next, what we/I had to do, who I had to go see. I don’t have a bad word to say at all.”

Employers deny responsibility for injury at work

Our solicitors raised the claim against Martin’s employers but their insurance company denied liability for the accident. They offered Martin only £500 in compensation for his work injury claim.

“I didn’t think I was going to get anything to be honest so when the first offer came in I was tempted to just accept it. But then once I thought it over and talked to my solicitor, I realised it was a ridiculous offer and insulting.”

In the end, this offer was rejected and Digby Brown raised court proceedings to fight for the compensation Martin was entitled to.

Work injury compensation 14 times higher with court action

His employer’s insurers continued to maintain their denial of liability for the work accident throughout the Court action.

They then offered a sum of £4,000 which was again rejected.

Following further negotiations, they increased the compensation offer to £7,000 for Martin’s work injury claim – over 14 times higher than the first offer – and this was happily accepted.

“The service was 100%. A friend of mine also had a case with Digby Brown and we both had nothing but praise for the firm as we both received a great service.