When leaving for work in the morning you expect to return back home uninjured, unfortunately this was not the case for West Lothian care worker Mrs Uttley.

As normal Mrs Uttley attended the home of a service user suffering from Moto Neurone Disease, to get him ready for bed.  She was carrying out her usual tasks, but when she went to check that the bedroom windows were closed, the man’s cat jumped out and attacked her, biting her arm and sinking its claws into her hand.

Days later, she was worried when her arm began to swell. A trip to Accident and Emergency resulted in surgery to drain her arm and a five night stay.  

Left with permanent scarring and on going pain, Mrs Uttley felt that her employer could have taken action which would have prevented the incident. She decided to call her trade union, which then referred her to Thompsons Solicitors In Scotland. Accident solicitor Tracey McKenzie agreed that Mrs Uttley’s employers were at fault and that she should be entitled to compensation.

Tracey investigated the incident further, and found that Mrs Uttley and her colleagues had made their supervisor aware of the cat’s aggressive behaviour however no procedures were put in place to ensure the safety of their employees when attending this service user’s house.  Our client received £5,750 in compensation for her pain and suffering following the incident which she was delighted to accept.

Following the settlement, Tracey said “I am pleased that we managed to secure a level of compensation that Mrs Uttley is happy with. I hope that this will ensure that her employers are more cautious when employees voice their concerns in the future.”