Driver gets compensation for permanent eye damage
A driver has received a substantial sum in no win no fee compensation after he suffered permanent damage to his eye in a work accident.
The 57-year-old man underwent surgery to correct a detached retina immediately after the accident. He also had to undergo another operation to remove a cataract.
The man, from Redcar in Cleveland, was clearing out an empty property with a net, which got caught on a loose bath leg and swung round and hit him in the eye.
His injury lawyers said he was wearing his regular plastic prescription glasses which did not provide any adequate protection.
They said their client had previously asked for suitable glass prescription safety goggles but his employers had failed to provide them.
As a result of the accident and the subsequent operations, the man now must wear a special lens in his eye.
In the court, his lawyers argued that his employers had provided the wrong type of netting to secure the load. They also said the employers should have provided the correct safety goggles.
The firm did not admit liability but settled the claim out of court.
Updated on 27/05/2010