Accident at work settlement for Polish carpenter

Leigh Day & Co has settled a case on behalf of a 57 year old Polish carpenter who was seriously injured when using a defective circular saw at work. 

Accidents at work

The injury occurred when the automatic blade guard on the circular saw failed to engage over the rotating blade.  As a result the blade came into contact with our client’s left hand resulting in a serious laceration.  His injuries left him unable to continue with his work as a carpenter. 

Due to his injuries our client returned to his native Poland to be cared for by his family.

We were instructed to act on his behalf shortly after the accident and were able to explain the English legal process to him with the assistance of our in-house Polish paralegal. 

Although we were able to identify our client’s employer soon after the accident, the employer refused to respond to correspondence and phone calls to provide their insurer’s details.  We persevered and after several months of research we were able to identify the employer’s insurer so the claim could go ahead. 

Polish claimants

Leigh Day & Co has experienced numerous cases of unscrupulous employers who try to avoid their responsibilities, particularly with more vulnerable employees such as the recent influx of Polish workers.   Workers who are not aware of their rights can be exploited without proper legal representation.  Leigh Day & Co has a committed Polish team who ensure that injured Polish workers are fully and properly represented and compensated. 

Having identified the employer’s insurer, we obtained medical evidence regarding the lifelong restrictions that our client would now have given his injuries and were able to negotiate a settlement of £60,000 in respect of this claim.

Zahra Nanji who ran this case, commented that:

 “This was a serious injury and this case highlights the need to ensure that equipment provided by employers is safe to use.  It would have only taken a moment to check whether this equipment was safe and would have prevented this accident from occurring. 

I am pleased that compensation has been recovered for this client, who did not originally conceive that he would be able to bring a claim.  The money recovered will give our client some security for his future back in Poland”.

I would like to thank solicitor, Miss Zahra Nanji and the rest of her team at Leigh Day & Co for the successful completion of my claim. To be honest, I did not believe in the success at the beginning. Had I not come into contact with your law firm, I would have not started making a claim at all as I was too afraid of paying legal costs. I know I was in a hopeless situation right from the start. My employer denied employing me I did not have written contract of employment, I cannot speak English. I was living and working in a foreign country. What was I actually looking for? You have understood me and I really appreciate it.

Accident at work claims

Leigh Day & Co lawyers are experts in handling claims for accidents at work such as may occur in a factory, on a construction site or even in the office or at school or college.

Each year thousands of people have an accident at work in the UK who may be entitled to claim compensation. Many of them suffer terrible injuries that can destroy their lives and those of their families. Our team of specialist personal injury lawyers has extensive experience in handling compensation claims for people who have suffered catastrophic injuries, including amputation, severe brain and spinal injuries.

Injuries at work happen for number of reasons, often because the employer has breached one of a number of laws covering health and safety at work.  Leigh Day & Co solicitors are experts at successfully representing people who have been injured at work in their claims for compensation.

To speak to one of our lawyers about a possible claim for compensation please phone 020 7650 1200 or fill in our email enquiry form.

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