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Firefighter Suffers Personal Injury in Avoidable Accident at Work

22nd January 2010

A firefighter suffered a fall at work due to incorrectly stowed equipment and sustained a personal injury. Our lawyers acted on his behalf in a compensation claim against his employer.

Injured at Work

Our client was attending a call-out with his colleagues. As he climbed out of the fire appliance his foot caught in the strap of a lantern left trailing across the floor of the vehicle and he tripped, landing on the ground outside. He sustained injuries to his knee, ankle and face.

As a result of this accident at work our client required a lot of time off and he had to undergo medical treatment including an operation. His hobbies and his ability to carry out tasks around the house were also affected.

Lack of Health and Safety Measures

The injured firefighter felt that his employer was responsible for the accident, as there was no set procedure in place for the storage of the lanterns and the floor of the vehicle was not a safe place for them to be left. Employees were also advised to wrap the straps around them after use, but whoever used the lantern last had forgotten to do this.

We made a personal injury claim against the fire service on our client’s behalf, on the basis that they failed to employ sufficient health and safety measures to ensure the vehicle was free from hazards.

Initially they denied liability and it was necessary to pursue the case to court. The Judge accepted that the accident was caused by poor standards of housekeeping and it was negligent to allow the lanterns to be stowed in that manner. The case was successful and our client was awarded £10,000 in damages in respect of his injuries and losses.

Injury Claim Advice

If you suffer an injury as the result of a workplace accident caused by the negligence of someone else, you may be entitled to make an injury claim.

Our lawyers have extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of accidents and can provide you with specialist accident claim advice on a cost-free, confidential basis. Contact The Legal Line on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.