Man compensated after eye injury
A driver has received a substantial sum in compensation after he suffered permanent damage to his eye in a work accident, it has been revealed.
The man who is in his fifties, and from Redcar in Cleveland, needed to undergo surgery to correct a detached retina and then another operation to remove a cataract, after he was hit in the eye while working.
At the time of the incident the man was clearing out an empty property and had loaded a stainless steel bath onto the back of his lorry, but as he was attempting to cover the load with a net, the net caught on a loose bath leg and swung round and hit him in the eye.
No provision for safety goggles
The man, who is a member of the GMB trade union, was wearing his regular plastic prescription glasses but they provided inadequate protection. Despite asking for suitable glass prescription safety goggles, he had not been provided with them.
The leg of the bath hit his left eye and he suffered a detached retina which needed surgery. He later developed a cataract and needed a second operation a year later to correct it. He now must wear a special lens in his eye.
Claim for compensation
Following the accident he contacted the GMB which instructed its no win no fee solicitors to pursue a claim for compensation.
The injury lawyers firm argued that the victim's company had provided the wrong type of netting to secure the load and should have provided the correct safety goggles. Although the firm did not admit liability, it did decide to settle the claim out of court.
The man said it was important to him that his employers accepted responsibility for his injury.
He said: "I had asked for glass prescription safety goggles on a number of occasions because in my line of work I feared I ran the risk of serious injury but they were never provided. If I hadn't been wearing my normal plastic glasses I could have been blinded."
He added: "Having gone through two eye operations I know just how scary it is to lose your sight. I was lucky that when I did I knew it was only temporary."
Union blast avoidable accident
Ian McKenzie from the trade union GMB, said: "Safety glasses are a must-have item for those working in a wide range of industries. However there are several types of glasses on the market and it is up to the employer to ensure that the type used is suited to the tasks being undertaken."
Diane Davison, a spokesperson from the no win no fee solicitors firm, added: "The employers should have provided safety glasses which protected his eyes from all angles whilst enabling him to see clearly."
She concluded by saying: "With the correct netting and glasses this accident could have been avoided and the extremely unpleasant injury which has left him with long term sight problems."
Updated on 29/05/2010