Man left with severe depression after fall receives £80,000 in damages

A labourer fell down a flight of concrete stairs and has not been able to work for more than 3 years as a result of his accident. The man was awarded £80,000 in an out of court settlement. This accident left the man with serious depression, which was so severe that he was barely able to leave his home let alone return to work.

The accident occurred when the man was going down the flight of concrete stairs to collect some tools from the basement. On his way down the stairs the man fell on a pile of loose electrical cables that were left hidden from view and left trailing across the steps.

The man, in his 50’s was left in such severe pain that he couldn’t move for more than 10 minutes- This was the result of him landing heavily on his right side and lower back. The man eventually managed to crawl up the stairs and was given morphine and taken by ambulance to hospital.

When the man got to hospital he was diagnosed with a sprained lower back and fractured pelvis. When discharged from hospital the man was bed bound for 3 weeks. The man was left in constant lower back pain and couldn’t walk or bend without being in severe pain. For 3 months after his accident the man had to rely on full daily care from his wife.

Unfortunately due to the clients dependency on his wife and the fact that he couldn’t go back to work to support his 2 young children the man was left suffering with serious mental health problems. The man took several trips to the doctors regarding his anxiety and depression which he’d developed as a result of the accident. The man’s symptoms eventually got to the point where he didn’t want to leave his own home.

The department for work and pensions assessment ruled the man was mentally unfit for work. The man then received counselling and medication for more than 12 months after this. Due to the man’s pelvis and back he was also told that he wouldn’t be able to ever return to the construction work which he enjoyed.

If you have had an accident at work contact our specialist department for victims of Accident at work on 08000 430 430 to speak to one of our experienced and dedicated team today.