In November 2018, our client, a classroom assistant from North Ayrshire, suffered a wrist injury while travelling as a passenger on a bus during the course of her employment.
Her union, Unite, referred the local council employee to Thompsons so that we could pursue a passenger accident claim on her behalf.
The background
Our client had been travelling on the bus as part of her role as a classroom assistant. She was accompanying the school children on a trip to a pantomime. The school had hired more than six busses.
The accident occurred as our client stood to let a teacher sit down next to her. She had been sitting on the front row of seats opposite to the driver's side.
As she stood up, the bus shuddered forward unexpectedly and our client lost her balance. She fell down the steps at the front of the bus. Our client's colleagues witnessed the shuddering; it was unclear why it happened
The consequences
Immediately, our client knew she had severely injured her arm and she suspected that a bone was broken. She was taken to hospital where an X-ray confirmed she had suffered a fracture to her right wrist. She also suffered bruising to her legs and the left side of her body and a sore shoulder.
The following day she underwent surgery to set the bones in her wrist. Our client had to wear a cast for several weeks and required physiotherapy when the cast was removed. She was signed off work for two months.
The wrist injury left our client with permanent pain and unable to fully straighten her fingers.
The settlement
The defender admitted liability for the passenger accident and settlement was agreed pre-litigation in respect of the bus accident injuries our client had suffered. Our client accepted a personal injury compensation settlement sum of £44,717 which was agreed on 6 August 2021.
