Michael was employed as a plumber and was in the process of loading his van in Belfast before departing to a work site in England. Whilst doing this, he was loading a bundle of stainless steel pipes onto the van’s roof rack with the help of a colleague. They used a bungee cord to hook the pipes in place but whilst tightening it the hook from the already fastened end came loose from the roof rack. The bungee cord snapped back and the hook struck Michael’s eye.
Michael attended hospital after his work accident
As a result of this accident, Michael suffered blunt force trauma to the eye and his eyelids both split. His friend and colleague immediately rushed him to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Whilst being treated it was noticed that his iris was damaged which would leave him with slight reduction in vision with the affected eye. In the aftermath of the accident, Michael noted that he experienced ongoing symptoms of glare at night which was of particular concern to him whilst driving.
Michael contacted Paschal O’Hare Solicitors
We sent a letter of claim to his employer who denied liability. They said that Michael should have used ratchet straps or rope provided which would have been suitable and appropriate to use with the roof rack on the van. However, our client countered that he was specifically instructed not to use ratchet straps and that rope, although perhaps available, would not have been suitable for such a load traveling such a distance.
We issued High Court proceedings and had Michael examined by a consultant ophthalmic surgeon who provided us with a medical report. Upon service of the statement of claim, the employer’s defence solicitor contacted us and explained they wish to settle the case outside of court. We entered negotiations and the case settled in the sum of £26,000.
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