After a protracted legal battle, a work accident claim has finally led to a payout for a former employee of food manufacturing giant Nestle after she underwent a leg amputation procedure due to the accident.
50 year old worker Susan Ashe was operating a small forklift truck as its driver when the accident claim occurred in April of 2007 at Nestle Confectionery UK’s York premises.
Due to a leaky roof, Ms Ashe found it necessary to negotiate the forklift in a circumnavigation of several bins that had been placed strategically in order to collect the rainwater. The personal injury claim occurred when Ms Ashe, while attempting to avoid the bins, lost control and collided with a barrier.
Throughout the haze of pain from the collision, Ms Ashe recalls seeing that one of her feet was facing an impossible angle. Soon later, once she was in hospital, she was told that there would be no alternative for her except to amputate the limb just blow her knee.
Ms Ashe then entered into a long legal battle with her employer. Finally she has received settlement, which remains undisclosed in regards to its sum, as a personal injury compensation from Nestle. Ms Ashe will be using the funds in order to adapt her home to be more accessible for her, since her mobility has been much reduced after the amputation surgery.
A spokesperson for the candy and sweets company commented on the entire incident by stating that Nestle takes the safety and health of its workers and employees extremely seriously.
In related news, figures recently released from the Health and Safety Executive revealed that for the 2009-2010 financial year, employees suffered over 230,000 reportable injuries whilst in the course of their duties for their respective employers.