Stepping in to help after a work accident

Mr H was employed by a construction company and was working on a local housing development in Fife when the accident happened.

He was struck by the extended bucket and boom of a digger operating on the site near to where he was working. This trapped Mr H against the building and then subsequently threw him in the air, injuring his back and hip.

Mr H suffered from pre-existing back problems which were exacerbated for 18 months after the incident, while the hip injury Mr H suffered lasted for 12 months after the accident. 

Impact of injury on his work

Mr H was only off work for four days after the accident for the simple reason that he could not afford to take any more time off work. Although he returned to work, he was still in pain.

His return to work was made worse by the fact he was unable to take on any lighter duties, which meant he was carrying out heavy lifting which was making his back worse.

He is now training for another role involving no heavy lifting to help improve his experience at work and his quality of life.

Impact of injury on everyday life

The work accident also had a major impact on our client’s social and personal life.

Previously, he had been going to Muay Thai boxing for around 8 years and jogged every day. After the accident, these hobbies were too painful.

He tried going to the gym and cycling but again, it was too painful. Even sitting in a car for too long could become unbearable. His wife also had to do more around the house, helping with little things he found he suddenly couldn’t do because of his injuries.

Contacted Digby Brown Kirkcaldy for help with injury at work claim

“I saw your advert on TV just after Christmas and decided to get in touch and see what happens.”

After Mr H got in touch with Digby Brown’s Kirkcaldy office, they wrote to the Health and Safety Executive in Edinburgh who had not had the work accident reported to them or investigated the circumstances around the accident.

Our solicitors were able to step in and help – they were able to persuade the employer’s insurer to admit liability for the accident early on – and before the case was formally raised in court -  by being able to clearly set out the various health and safety regulations his employer had breached.

Recovering compensation for work accident

Fortunately, our client only suffered minimal wage loss following the work accident but we were still able to recover £10,000 for Mr H. This fully compensated him for his injuries and out of pocket expenses.

“I found the service brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I would give Digby Brown 10 out of 10.

“My solicitor Calum was always in touch with updates and checking I was okay.

“I was really happy with the compensation I received in the end; I didn’t expect that amount of compensation at all.”