Grieves Solicitors successfully obtained compensation for a West Yorkshire warehouse driver who was injured at work whilst loading a pallet on to his lorry.

How was Mr H affected by the injury at work?

Mr H injured his left shoulder in an accident that occurred at work. He was loading a lorry and was in the process of shrink wrapping a pallet. He was holding a roll of shrink wrap with both hands and walking backwards around the pallet when he tripped over a box of stationery which had been left propped. up against the pallet. This caused him to fall backwards and he landed heavily on his left shoulder.

What happened on the day of the accident at work?

Mr H injured his left shoulder in an accident at work.  He was loading a lorry and was in the process of shrink wrapping a pallet. He was holding a roll of shrink wrap with both hands and walking backwards around the pallet when he tripped over a box of stationery which had been left propped up against the pallet by a work colleague. This pallet caused him to fall backwards and he landed heavily on his left shoulder.

He lay on the ground for 1-2 minutes whilst he composed himself. A colleague came to his assistance and Mr H was able to get up by himself. He was immediately aware of pain around his left shoulder blade.   He managed to continue to load his lorry as he had almost finished doing so and did not want to let his employers down.  He then reported the accident to his employers.

Solely because of this accident Mr H suffered a soft tissue injury to his left shoulder and shoulder blade which accelerated the onset of symptoms of degenerative tendinopathy by approximately 2 years. He was absent from work for 5 months.  He underwent physiotherapy to help with mobility.  He also suffered severe sleep disturbance and there was an adverse impact on his psychological well-being. His hobby of playing golf was also curtailed for over a year.

Mr H’s sleep was disturbed on a nightly basis following the accident. His sleep disturbance became increasingly severe, particularly when he was trying to sleep in his cab, as he found it impossible to get comfortable and he was unable to lie on his left-hand side.

Mr H continued to work despite his symptoms until June 2014. He was then supplied with medical certificates for a period of approximately 5 months. He has since returned to work and has not had any further time off due to his left shoulder symptoms since that time.

How was Mr H affected by these injuries?

Unfortunately, Mr H passed away and Grieves Solicitors pursued his claim with his family acting as a personal representative who dealt with the claim on his behalf.

Why did he choose Grieves Solicitors to help him make the claim?

Mr H said he selected Grieves Solicitors to pursue his claim as are we are experts in personal injury claims for accidents at work across Yorkshire and he had been recommended to us.

How did Grieves Solicitors approach the claim?

The case was particularly difficult as our client passed away and his opponents also refused to accept full responsibility for his accident.  This led to additional work and time being spent proving whose fault the accident was.  In order to save our client from having to go to court, due to his decline in health, which was not accident related, Grieves Solicitors were successful in negotiating an excellent settlement.

How was the Claim resolved?

As our client’s opponents refused to accept full responsibility for his accident this lengthened the time it took to obtain compensation for our client.  This meant that not only did we have to prepare the case to persuade a court that our client’s opponents were at fault but also to provide the evidence to persuade a court to award him compensation for his accident related injuries.  However, Grieves Solicitors successfully negotiated a settlement for Mr H for the injuries he sustained in his accident at work which covered both the physical and psychological injuries he sustained.

Challenging aspects of the claim

There were 2 challenges in Mr H’s claim.  Firstly, Grieves Solicitors had to fight Mr H’s opponents to determine whose fault the accident was and how much money he should receive for his accident at work injuries.  Secondly, Grieves Solicitors had to find a relative take over the claim when Mr H unfortunately passed away.  When someone dies it is possible for that person’s relatives to continue the claim even if there is no will.  This is something that most people do not realize.  However, it is always easier if the injured person has made a will but just because there is no will does not mean that the claim cannot continue.

How did Mr H benefit from the claim

Mr H’s estate received the compensation he deserved for his accident-related injuries.

If you have been injured  in an accident at work, please get in touch with the  Accident at Work Solicitors at Grieves Solicitors, One of Yorkshire’s leading Serious & Personal Injury Claims Specialists.  To make a free no-obligation enquiry, call 0800 0747 644. Alternatively, fill in the contact form and we will get back to you.