A dockyard engineer has won £35,000 after being injured in an accident involving a powerful drill.

The incident took place back in 2010 and was not pursued at the time as the member was reluctant to make a fuss and because he thought he would make a full and quick recovery. However when it became apparent that despite an operation on his hand this would not be the case he sought the advice of Thompsons Solicitors who act as personal injury lawyers on behalf of his trade union UNITE.

His lawyer Jayne Crawford advised him that due to almost two and a half years having passed since the accident his case was very near to being time barred. That mean that the law would prevent him from taking a case against his employers as it had happened too long ago. Jayne and her legal team had to work very quickly getting the  case prepared which involved arranging medical statements on the extent of injuries to his hand and contacting witness who had seen the accident.

It was very apparent that the member had sustained this injury due to not being given the right kind of tools for the job.  The case was raised in court  and his employers at the dockyard made an offer to settle the case which they quickly increased as matters progressed. The offer of £35,000 was considered to be a good one and the member was happy to accept.

He said “when the accident first happened it didn’t really occur to me to start a claim against my bosses. They had given me the wrong equipment for the job but I felt that I was recovering from the accident and I didn’t want to make a fuss. But as time passed and my hand was still playing up UNITE advised me that I really should speak to the union lawyers at Thompsons. They explained how I had a very good case but they had to act quickly. In the end I was delighted with the compensation.”

The member’s lawyer Jayne Crawford commented “This gentleman didn’t pursue any claim at the time as he didn’t want to make a fuss. That’s a sentiment that’s common in cases like this but as time passes people begin to realise that they should take action as what happened wasn’t their fault. We moved very quickly as the case was about to be time barred and in the end were able to secure a great settlement. His case really shows the benefit of having experienced injury lawyers as part of your UNITE membership.”