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The claimant, Mr C, instructed Duncan Lewis Solicitors to represent him in a claim for an accident at work. As his solicitor, Ifrah Ahmed acted on his behalf and succeeded in recovering a large sum in damages for Mr C’s complex injuries and uncertain future.

Background

Duncan Lewis were instructed by Mr C to claim damages in connection with an accident at work in March 2017.

At the time of the accident, Mr C was 20 years old and working as a self-employed brick layer with Company B, who were subcontracted by Company A to carry out brick work on the site belonging to Company A, where the incident occurred.

During Mr C’s employment, he was not given any training on Health & Safety procedures. He was not trained on weight limit of the load he had to carry and he was sometimes required to lift and carry very heavy concrete blocks. Furthermore, he was not provided with any equipment to assist him with carrying concrete blocks.

On the day of the incident, Mr C was instructed to carry heavy concrete blocks each weighing approximately 10 kg. He had to walk across temporary floor created with wooden sheets and place the blocks on top of a stack which was at the first floor height. As he walked across, the floor collapsed from underneath him and he fell through with the blocks landing on top of him.

Unfortunately he sustained a lumbar compression fracture and had to undergo surgery to have metal work inserted to support the vertebrae. Following the accident he was unable to perform his day-to-day activities and duties at his full capacity. Furthermore, it meant he may never return to heavy manual work and will need to look for sedentary work for the rest of his working life.

Outcome

Ifrah Ahmed was the solicitor with conduct of this claim and she initially submitted the claim to Company B who contracted Mr C for this project. However it soon came to light that Company B was not insured and would not be in position to compensate Mr C for his injuries and financial losses. Although Company B approached Mr C directly and wanted to compensate a menial sum, Ifrah advised Mr C not to engage with them as it could prejudice the ongoing claim. Ifrah subsequently submitted the claim against Company A, who were initially reluctant to deal with this claim as they did not employ Mr C; however, after having put pressure on Company A’s insurers and conducting negotiations, we were successful in obtaining an admission of liability.

Ifrah was able to recover a settlement in the sum of £90,000.00 for Mr C. This sum was recovered for general damages (injuries sustained), as well as special damages covering the cost of reconstruction surgery in the future, past/future loss of earnings, travel expenses and ongoing handicap on the open labour market. This was an outstanding result, considering Company B were the direct employers for Mr C but in no financial stability to settle the claim and that Company A were not Mr C’s employers but merely the main contractors. Ifrah was able to carefully analyse the merits of a claim and the route which would offer the best possible result for the client.

Ifrah Ahmed, is a solicitor in the Personal Injury department and a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) who specialises in claims on behalf of individuals who have sustained serious injuries arising from road traffic collisions, accidents at work and accident in public places. Her expertise includes, but is not limited to, traumatic brain injury, spinal injuries and serious orthopaedic injuries.

For expert advice call Ifrah on 020 3114 1215 or email her at ifraha@duncanlewis.com.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors

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