4 April 2008
Leigh Day & Co has settled the claim of a tanker driver who experienced serious injuries as a result of the explosion at the Buncefield Oil Depot in December 2005.
Our client, Paul Reed, was at the heart of the explosion when it occurred and was thrown to the floor by the force of the explosion. He suffered back injuries and has been left with permanent serious tinnitus due to the noise of the explosion, as well as some psychological symptoms. Leigh Day & Co was able to negotiate a settlement in relation to his claim which also included financial losses and lost earnings.
Mr Reed was one of the tanker drivers at the Buncefield site who noticed with a colleague that there appeared to be a fault with one of the tanks at the Buncefield site and raised the alarm before the explosion happened. Despite the extensive investigations, no one party has been identified as being responsible for the explosion. However, we were able to secure a settlement for Mr Reed with Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited who agreed to deal with the claim as if liability was not disputed.
Paul was represented by Daniel Easton, partner in the Accident and Disasters Department. He comments:
“This was the biggest peacetime explosion since World War II and it is a miracle that more people were not injured. Unfortunately, some people like Paul were caught up in the blast and suffered symptoms typical of an explosion such as shock, trauma and burst eardrums. Unfortunately Paul has been left with permanent tinnitus and although he copes with this admirably, it is something he will have to live with for the rest of his life. Whilst the litigation into the explosions themselves are ongoing, we welcome the co-operation from HOSL in the settlement of Mr Reed’s personal injury claim”.
For more information please contact
Daniel Easton on 020 7650 1200.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.