Unsafe working practices lead to £15,000 settlement for injured healthcare assistant

Gavin Allard in our Personal Injury team supported a client in securing a £15,000 settlement after she sustained a serious back injury while carrying out unsafe manual handling tasks at work.

Our client was working as a healthcare assistant when she was instructed to remove, wash and re-hang heavy, non-disposable curtains in a consulting room. This task would usually require two members of staff and appropriate equipment, but she was required to carry it out alone.

After washing the curtains, which became significantly heavier when wet, our client attempted to re-hang them. In doing so, she was required to stand on furniture to reach the rail. During this process, she experienced a sudden “pop” in her back, followed by immediate pain.

The injury had a lasting impact on her health, causing ongoing pain and affecting her ability to work and carry out day-to-day activities.

We were instructed to investigate the circumstances of the accident and undertook a detailed review of the evidence, including medical records, occupational health reports and witness evidence.

A formal Letter of Claim was prepared, alleging that the defendant had failed to provide a safe system of work, had not carried out a suitable risk assessment, and had required our client to undertake unsafe manual handling at height without appropriate training or support.

Liability was denied by the defendant, meaning the claim required further evidential work and expert input. We instructed a consultant spinal surgeon to provide evidence on causation, prognosis and the long-term impact of the injury.

As the dispute continued, court proceedings were issued and counsel was instructed to prepare the claim. We built a comprehensive Schedule of Loss and continued to engage in negotiations, positioning the claim for a strong settlement outcome.

Following detailed negotiations and the exchange of Part 36 offers, the claim was settled for £15,000.
This ensured our client received compensation for the injuries suffered and the impact on her working life, without the need to proceed to a final hearing.

Gavin Allard specialises in clinical negligence and personal injury matters, including complex claims involving serious physical injuries and psychological trauma. If you would like to discuss a potential claim, or have a general query about a personal injury matter, please contact Gavin at Thomson Snell & Passmore in confidence. We offer no win no fee agreements on the vast majority of our personal injury claims.