Sawmill worker backed by Celtic goalkeeper settles HGV crash claim

“What happened to me was avoidable and I felt the way I was treated afterwards was disgusting.

“Settling the case therefore proved I was right which meant more than anything because my motivation for a claim has always been about ensuring this didn’t happen to anyone else.”

When you see Scott Sloan you’d have no idea what he survived. Not only was he run over by a lorry but he somehow escaped with only moderate injuries. 

As Scott himself put it: “I am happy to still be here - that’s all that matters.”

It was the end of January 2022 when 27-year-old Scott suffered life-changing injuries at a timber yard in Lockerbie, Dumfries & Galloway.

Wearing a hi-viz orange vest he was standing near the weighbridge, giving directions to a lorry driver, when he was clipped by a second HGV that drove past him. 

It wasn’t a huge collision but it was enough to pull Scott under the wheel arch – he was then dragged along the ground for four metres.

Scott had to be airlifted to Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for emergency treatment and multiple surgeries to address an agonising catalogue of injuries.

Fractured spine (T6 to T9 vertebrae). A ruptured spleen. A shattered arm. Multiple rib fractures. Umpteen lacerations. 

The accident caught the attention of Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart who sent a message of support.

As reported in national media, the stopper shared an Instagram video and said: “Hey Scott, it’s your pal Joe here mate.

“Just sending you best wishes and hoping you have a speedy recovery.

“Let’s try and get you back to Celtic Park soon pal.”

Luckily the medical treatment was successful and when he was ready, Scott spoke to a local lawyer about what happened.

But the local lawyer recognised Scott needed expert personal injury advice so he recommended Scott deal with Digby Brown and so the case was passed to our Partner Damian White who is an expert in workplace accident claims. 

Damian investigated the circumstances of the incident and gathered all the necessary evidence: medical records; HSE investigation findings; and police reports.

Damian then spoke to other experts to work out the long-term impact of Scott’s injuries and calculate how much compensation would be fair.

Scott’s claim settled without going to court and while he doesn’t want to reveal precisely how much he secured we can tell you his case settled for more than double what the insurance company first offered. 

Scott said: “I had my ups and downs during the recovery.

“Sometimes it felt like people didn’t understand – it can often seem that unless you have a visible sign like crutches then people expect you to get on with things so that was hard as I was still battling pain and mobility issues for a long time. 

“Other than that the hardest part was definitely losing my independence and being reliant on others to complete the simplest of tasks – it’s soul destroying asking someone to help you wash or eat. 

“I still feel pain – especially in my arm – but I’m definitely out the woods and the future looks better.

“Damian really helped me in more ways than I can describe. I can only say thank you for helping me – not just compensation but hopefully with this claim it’s improved standards for the people still working there and maybe even for other yards across the country.”