Employee falls from height, may file for damages

Accident claim experts recently reported that after a heavy goods vehicle company’s employee fell from height and sustained serious personal injuries, the company may be facing a personal injury compensation claim from their worker.

The Darwen native, whose name has been withheld from the media due to a request for privacy, fell nearly three meters from the roof of an HGV cab as he attempted to descend from the spot.  The forty seven year old worker had been trying to climb onto an unsecured ladder when he fell, accident solicitor sources say.

The man suffered both a fractured elbow and a fractured hip in the fall, which kept him from returning to work for four months.  He had originally went up to the roof of the vehicle to make a determination on whether a wind deflector should be fitted to the HGV.

JDS Trucks Ltd, the man’s employer, located on Forrest Street, in Blackburn, was brought before Accrington Magistrates’ Court after the Health and Safety Executive prosecuted it for regulatory breach.  The HGV sale and repair company was found guilty and given a fine of nearly £10,000 in addition to being ordered to pay more than £4,6oo in court costs as well.

In the wake of the court hearing, one HSE inspector commented on the incident by stating that the firm had obviously not payed any consideration to the health and safety of their workers whilst engaged in climbing onto trucks with the use of just a ladder.  JDS Trucks has made the decision to implement a gantry system since the accident, which has done much to improve the safety of their employees who face having to work at height during the course of their duties.

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