Injury compensation claims

A group of fruit packers who were injured in a coach crash on the M5 motorway are to take legal action, it is claimed.

The accident happened in foggy conditions back in March. The fruit packers were on their way to a farm in Evesham for work. The coach they were travelling on initially broke down before the driver got it running again. However, the coach broke down again after just a couple of minutes back on the road, and came to a halt in the middle lane.

A lorry crashed into the back of the coach whilst it was stationary. Unfortunately, one of the coach passengers – Liaquat Ali – died at the scene. The driver of the lorry also tragically suffered injuries in the incident that proved fatal.

The driver of the fruit pickers coach is currently on bail under suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

17 of the fruit packers that were on the coach suffered injuries. These include various injuries such as head, back and leg damage. The Birmingham Post is reporting that the group are now set to seek personal injury damages. An investigation by West Midlands Police into the incident is said to still be ongoing, and will determine who is liable for the accident.

A man, who was injured in an accident where a lift plunged 100ft, is reported to be making a compensation claim.

Stephen Dinsdale was on a stag weekend with friends in Newquay, Cornwall when the accident happened in April 2010. They were staying in the Hotel Victoria in the popular resort.

Mr Dinsdale was in the hotel lift with five friends when it became stuck. The lift went down from the hotel to a sandy cove by the sea, underneath the hotel.

Hotel staff reassured the trapped men that the lift could be manually slowly winched down. However, the lift plummeted 100ft (30 metres) to the ground below, causing the 44 year old injury. Two others from the group suffered minor injuries in the lift fall.

The door of the lift buckled in the impact with the floor, leaving the men trapped. In total, 85 members of the emergency services were needed to free them. The fire crews had to be taken to the cove by lifeboat crews, as the only access at high tide is by sea.

Mr Dinsdale suffered a serious leg injury in the incident, and still has not regained full use of the limb. The BBC reports that he is now making a personal injury claim against the hotel. It is claimed that the lift had not had a full inspection for nearly two years before the accident.

A company has been fined after an apprentice electrician injured their back in a fall whilst at work.

Richard O’Connor was just an 18 year old apprentice when the accident happened in February 2010. The incident occurred when he was undertaking electrical installation work at a Youth Centre with his colleagues.

Mr O’Connor was on a narrow timber walkway in the roof area of the building when he stumbled. He landed on the plasterboard ceiling which immediately gave way under him. He somehow managed to grab hold of a timber joist to stop himself falling, but after a few seconds, this joist gave way too.

Mr O’Connor fell over five metres, landing on the floor below and suffering serious injury. He fractured three vertebrae in his back, an injury that kept him off work for two months.

The HSE found that his employers – Roberts and Prowse Ltd – had not carried out a specific risk assessment for the work, and therefore had not put in place measures to reduce the risk of a fall.

The company went to Swindon Magistrates’ Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to breaking health and safety regulations in regards to the accident. They were fined £5,000.

A work was injured after a six-tonne dumper truck ran over his foot in a work accident.

Ross Smith was working as a self-employed ground worker when the accident happened in March last year. He was contracted on the construction of a roadway in Lincoln.

The incident started when Mr Smith and a colleague were filling the roadway with stone to get it ready for surfacing. The stone was brought to them by dumper truck, before they compacted it using a compacting machine.

As the dumper truck approached the area the men were working on, Mr Smith began moving his machine out of the way. However, the driver of the dumper truck was concentrating on avoiding obstacles in the construction area and accidentally ran over Mr Smith’s foot. Mr Smith suffered serious injury, breaking four bones in his foot.

The HSE investigated the accident and found issues with the main contractor, Maypine Construction Ltd. There was no suitable route around the site for traffic, and no suitable risk assessment.

This week, the company has pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court to breaking construction and health and safety regulations. They were fined £10,000.

A woman in Yorkshire is seeking compensation of over £300,000 after she was injured in a car crash in Poland.

Katarzyna Cieslar was a back-seat passenger in a Fiat Punto when it was involved in a collision with a BMW vehicle. The car in which she was travelling was being driven by Michal Cieslar in Skoczow, Poland at the time of the accident in February 2010.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner claims that the car turned into the path of the BMW, causing a serious car crash. Mr Cieslar was convicted of a driving offence in relation to the incident, and given a suspended jail sentence.

Katarzyna Cieslar suffered serious injury in the collision, including a fractured neck. She also suffered a brain injury in the incident, and several other bone fractures. She is still recovering from these injuries, despite the accident happening more than two years ago.

The paper is now reporting that she is seeking compensation of over £300,000 for her injuries. Legal papers have reportedly been submitted to the High Court in London, and a hearing is expected to take place at some time in the future.

A cleaner has received £12,000 compensation after being injured in a fall at work.

Arkadiusz Chmiel was working for Timbet Door Solutions when the accident happened. The company specialises in the manufacturer of fire doors.

The incident occurred whilst Mr Chmiel was moving a 30kg wooden sawbuck. Whilst moving it, he slipped on the floor. To avoid the weight of the equipment falling on him, he had to twist, but doing this caused him to suffer a serious knee injury.

The knee injury was severe enough to leave Mr Chmiel on crutches and in need of physiotherapy. He also had to take weeks off work whilst he recovered.

Mansfield and Ashfield Chad is reporting that Mr Chmiel sought compensation for his injuries from his employers. The paper states that his legal team proved that the floor on which he slipped had been painted with regular paint rather than anti-slip paint. The use of anti-sip paint could have stopped the incident from occurring.

The company admitted liability for Mr Chmiel’s injury and settled his compensation claim out of court.

Mr Chmiel – who originates from Poland – used the help of a translator throughout the legal process.

A woman looks set to take legal action for compensation after falling down the stairs of a double-decker bus.

Caroline Bloomer was injured in the accident as she travelled on the 142 bus between London and Watford in April. The incident happened as she tried to leave the bus at Watford Junction station.

She was the last passenger to leave the bus, but the driver was seemingly unaware of her presence. She was thrown off balance as the driver pulled away from the stop whilst she was on the stairs.

The bus driver slammed on the brakes as he heard Mrs Bloomer’s shouts of distress. Unfortunately, the sudden braking caused her to fall the rest of the way down the stairs.

Mrs Bloomer suffered a shoulder injury in the accident, that she reports to the Watford Observer causes her constant discomfort. The injury has kept her off work, and caused her to make several trips to her GP.

The newspaper also claims that she is seeking bus accident compensation from Arriva. Mrs Bloomer claims that the incident occurred because the driver pulled up away from the regular stop since another bus was using it. She claims that as he was breaking regulations, he was keener to move off than normal.

A woman, who fell from a minibus, is seeking compensation of over £300,000 for her injuries.

Natasha Flockhart was injured in the accident in June 2008. She was a passenger on the vehicle as it travelled along Broughton Avenue in Blaenymaes, Wales.

The incident happened as Miss Flockhart removed her lapbelt and stood up to get a bottle of Lucozade off the driver. At the same time, the driver went over a speed bump, causing the minibus to jolt.

The jolt caused Miss Flockhart to lose her balance and fall through the open doors of the vehicle and land on the road. She suffered a serious brain injury in the fall, and was in a coma as she was taken to hospital.

The brain injury has left Miss Flockhart no longer able to look after herself. The South Wales Evening Post is reporting that she is therefore looking for compensation from the bus company.

In legal papers submitted to the High Court in London, her team argue that the minibus driver was driving too fast, negligently allowed her to take off her lapbelt, and failed to warn her of the speed bump. They also claim he was negligent in allowing the minibus door to open.

The paper reports that she is seeking compensation of over £300,000 from Briggs Coaches.

Two workers were injured in a flash fire on a printing press in Waltham Forest.

The two unnamed men were at work for Delta Display Ltd at the time of the incident in May 2011. They had been tasked with cleaning the blankets of the printing press. These blankets regularly get covered in ink and need cleaning by hand.

The two men used a cleaning fluid provided by the company, but whilst they were undertaking the task a flash fire occurred. Vapours from the cleaning fluid ignited and caused a fireball explosion.

Both of the workers suffered burn injuries in the accident, and one of them suffered other injuries as he tried to escape the fire. He suffered broken bones in both of his legs as he jumped from the printing press to safety.

The Health and Safety Executive found that the company had ignored advice from the printing press manufacturers, and given the men the wrong kind of cleaning fluid. The press manufacturers had warned that using any cleaning solvent with a flash point below 55°C could cause an explosion. However, the men had been given cleaning solvent with a flash point of -20°C.

The company has been to Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week, and pleaded guilty to breaking Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. They were fined £12,000.

The crane driver paralysed in the Chandlers Wharf crane collapse is seeking compensation, it is being reported.

Iain Gillham was 200ft in the air, sat in the cab of the crane when the accident happened in Liverpool in July 2009. The crane was being used in the construction of a hotel and flats in Tabley Street in the city centre.

The accident happened when the 200 tonne crane toppled over and landed on a neighbouring apartment block. Mr Gillham was thrown from the crane cab in the incident, falling some 50ft / 15 metres.

Mr Gillham suffered life changing injuries in the fall, including a fractured spine and a fractured skull. The accident also caused him a brain haemorrhage and a collapsed lung. The injuries have left him needing a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Two construction companies have just been convicted of breaking health and safety regulations in regards to the accident after a three week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Bowmer and Kirkland Ltd and Bingham Davis Ltd will hear their sentence on Friday.

The Southport Visitor is reporting that the driver is seeking crane accident compensation for his injuries. Any compensation he receives will go towards meeting his needs caused by his changed circumstances.