£658,750 awarded to a roofer following injury | Case Study

The claimant was a roofer who was awarded total damages of £658,750 after suffering severe head injuries following an injury sustained at work.

Accident circumstances

The male claimant was aged 24 at the time of the roofing accident. He was working with a colleague to hoist a large piece of plywood up onto the roof of a shop.

The claimant tied some rope around the plywood whilst at ground level and waited for his colleague to pull it up to roof level. Whilst being hoisted up, the piece of plywood slipped and fell onto the claimant. He was not wearing any form of protection on his head.

Details of injury

The claimant sustained complex fractures to his skull and a loss of cognitive function. He lost the sight in his left eye and some loss in his right eye. He lost his sense of smell and his sense of taste was also impaired.

He was unable to return to full time work and was classed as a patient under the Mental Health Act 1983. His complex needs meant that he needed continuous support and case management.

It was alleged by the claimant that the system of hoisting was unsafe and that he had received no training on how to correctly hoist plywood in this situation. He also alleged that he had not been instructed by the defendant to wear a hard hat whilst hoisting the materials.

Liability was initially disputed by the defendant but an agreement was finally reached with a deduction of 22.5 percent being made for contributory negligence.

Conclusion

An out of Court agreement was reached at a gross value of £850,000.

A reduction for contributory negligence of 22.5 percent left a total figure for damages of £658,750. This included damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity as well as future care, medical costs and household costs. The award also included a payment for loss of past and future earnings.