Man compensated after being hit by cherry picker
A man has been awarded compensation for suffering from personal injuries to his head as a result of being hit by a "cherry picker."
The 63 year old man from Sheffield was walking out of a newsagent's in Broomhill when he was struck by the vehicle.
As a result, he required stitches to his head after suffering lacerations to his scalp along with severe headaches.
He said: "I had just left the shop and was walking down the pavement reading my lottery ticket, when the picker was lowered into me, leaving me needing glue stitches in the gash on my head."
The man then filed a personal injury claim against John Comaish Advertising Services, the firm which owned the cherry picker, stating that the machine was being operated unsupervised from a lorry on the other side of the road.
Katrina Elsey, a public safety specialist with the man's solicitors, said: "In this case it was very lucky that [his] injuries were not more severe. It was potentially a very serious accident which could have caused him extensive and lasting damage.
Companies using machinery in public areas need to make sure they follow the strict health and safety guidelines in place to make sure they protect people who may be in the area. They must make sure they carry out a thorough risk assessment and put up signs to warn the public of any danger."
Updated on 18/08/2009