Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Compensation for Trainee Teacher Injured by Unsafe Working Practice
19th May 2011
A trainee PE teacher who suffered a fractured arm in a workplace accident received compensation recently, in a claim pursued by our expert personal injury lawyers.
Accident at Work
Our client was on work placement at a school, as part of her training to become a PE teacher. She was taking a PE class under the supervision of a qualified teacher and the lesson involved the use of full sized trampolines.
When the time came to pack up at the end of the lesson she was assisted by some of the children in putting the trampoline away, which was the normal procedure at the school. In order to do this the ends of the trampoline, which are very large and heavy, have to be folded over. They are spring-loaded, so that when they reach a certain point they snap shut with force unless carefully lowered, however some of the children failed to keep hold of the end and it slammed down onto our client’s arm, badly fracturing it.
As a result of the accident our client required extensive medical treatment, including an operation to repair the damaged bone, time in a splint and physiotherapy to help her regain movement. The injury was to her dominant arm, so she had to put her studies and work on hold and also could not participate in several sports she usually enjoyed. This resulted in a loss of earnings and delay in her career progression. She was left with some long-term effects of the injury, including aching and discomfort in cold weather and a risk of developing arthritis.
Injury Claim Against School
Our client felt that the school were at fault for her injury, as the procedure for putting away the equipment was not sufficiently safe. It would have been safer if children were not involved, or if they had been given proper training on the task. She decided to pursue a personal injury claim and appointed our lawyers to deal with the case on her behalf.
We began a claim against the local authority responsible for the school, however they denied liability and it was necessary for us to take the case to Court. The Judge found in favour of our client, as the school failed to employ sufficient health and safety measures to comply with manual handling and work equipment regulations. She was awarded damages in excess of £25,000, in respect of her personal injury and related financial losses.
Personal Injury Advice
If you suffer a personal injury as the result of an accident at work or accident at a school, you may be entitled to pursue an injury claim.
At The Legal Line, our lawyers are specialists in all areas of personal injury, with a wealth of experience in recovering compensation for the victims of avoidable accidents. Contact us on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online, for cost-free, confidential accident claim advice.
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