We recently settled a claim following an accident at work which resulted in our client being diagnosed with Dupuytren’s contracture.
Our client worked as press operator for a local firm. The accident happened during the COVID pandemic.
At the start of the COVID pandemic our client’s employer made significant changes to the layout of the workplace to comply with social distancing requirements which resulted in employees working at their own workstation as opposed to in a general factory setting. The workstation our client was required to work in was a very limited space, indeed our Client was only able to turn on the spot.
On the day of the accident, our client was completing his work as a press operator. Unfortunately, a broom had been left on the floor close to the Client’s workstation. Due to the limited working space our client lost his footing on a stack of tins piled up in his workstation and fell onto the metal broom handle cutting his hand open.
Our client sought immediate medical treatment and has since made a full recovery from the injury to his hand. Unfortunately, at some point after the accident our Client was advised by his GP that the injury had in fact brought on the condition known as Dupuytren’s contracture.
Dupuytren’s contracture is a painless condition that causes one or more fingers to bend toward the palm of the hand. It starts with lumps, dimples or ridges on your palm. The affected fingers are unable straighten completely and knots of tissue form under the skin. They eventually create a thick cord that can pull the fingers into a bent position. It tends to get slowly worse over many months or years. Treatment cannot usually help in the early stages and there is no cure although your fingers can be straightened if it is severe.
Over time our client was informed Dupuytren’s contracture would significantly affect his range of movement in his hand and will undoubtedly affect his employment prospects in the future. Our client made a satisfactory recovery from his injury but has had to change his job role since the accident to accommodate for the ongoing symptoms he now suffers from. Our client hopes to continue in employment but may require surgery to alleviate his symptoms in his hand in the near future.
We submitted a claim to the Defendants on our Client’s behalf in this matter and shortly thereafter received an admission of liability for our Client’s injuries. With the benefit of independent medical reporting, we were able to enter into negotiations with the Defendant to settle our Client’s claim.
With our expertise we were able to obtain settlement for the Client to account for both the accident injuries and the future impact the resulting disease could have on our Client’s employment in the sum of £13,000.
Dupuytren’s contracture is a disabling disease. Indeed, it has recently been added to the list of prescribed diseases under Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit guidelines enabling awards to be made to Claimants should they satisfy the relevant criteria. More about IIDB here
You can be confident that by instructing our industrial injury solicitors, you will be advised, represented, and supported throughout the entire length of your claim.
If you have suffered an accident or disease as a result of your work, please contact our expert team on 01429 264101 or fill in an online enquiry form and someone will be in touch.
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