Diane sustained a back
injury in a work accident
that required surgery and forced her to move house. Our personal
injury team settled her claim for £18,250
compensation.
Diane was working as a lecturer at Waltham Forest College
where she taught English to speakers of other languages.
On 23 November 2004 she was teaching in a computer room and went
to sit down on a chair next to a student. The chair had wheels and
as she pulled the chair to sit on it, it collapsed. She grabbed the
top of the back support which was also loose. She fell, hitting her
lower back on the edge of the seat.
Diane experienced pain and discomfort over the following
year including tenderness over the lower paraspinal muscles, left
sciatica and feelings of numbness and tingling down her left
leg.
Diane underwent an operation to decompress the nerve and fuse
the lowest disc (L5/ S1) in the lumbar spine in November 2005,
followed by physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
Diane had a significant history of previous back problems and
had undergone an L5/S1 discectomydiscectomy in 2003, but was 80-90%
better when the accident occurred.
But she was always vulnerable to developing further back
pain and had a 50% chance of requiring the further spinal surgery
within five years even if the accident had not occurred.
We pursued a personal injury
claim on Diane's behalf and Waltham Forest
College admitted liability. Diane accepted £18,250 in
damages. This included an amount for the fact that Diane was forced
to move house and pay an increase in rent.
Diane could not drive and her old flat was a 20 minute walk up a
steep hill to the College, which she could not manage after the
accident. She moved to a flat which was two - five minutes away,
but in a more desirable area.
The new flat also had a washing machine, whereas the old flat
did not and she had to struggle to carry her washing to the
launderette. The previous landlord would not install one as he
owned the shop beneath where he restored antique furniture and he
was worried about the risk of flooding.
For further information or if you believe you have a personal injury claim relating to a work accident, please contact a member of our
personal injury team on freephone 0800
358 3848, email personalinjury@ffw.com or
complete our short enquiry form.