We presently have a shortage of HGV drivers and we need to ensure they are kept safe at work.
Simon Helliwell, Chartered Legal Executive in our personal injury department recently recovered damages exceeding £50,000.00 for a client who suffered substantial orthopedic injuries. The settlement comes on top of other recent settlements Simon has achieved for his clients in the region of £3.3 million pounds and £ ½ Million pounds.
Simon says:
“In 2019, my client was an HGV driver. He was tasked to collect waste bales from a Farmer in the South of England. Due to the Farmer’s negligence in loading one of the bales fell and struck my client. The Farmer was not insured.
This was a complex and time intensive case complicated as a direct result of the Farmer’s lack of insurance. It is a little known fact that some legal expense insurance policies will cover unsatisfied Judgments but unfortunately my client did not have legal cover. We took a risk proceeding with this case as there was a risk that the Farmer would not pay any damages or costs. We knew the Farmer had possible equity in his farm house but how much?
Cases where bales have fallen following negligent loading by Farmers occur frequently and I am concerned that a lot of these cases are not even investigated by the Health & Safety Executive when significant injuries occur. We presently have a shortage of HGV drivers and we need to ensure they are kept safe at work”
Fortunately for my client the Defendant was able to secure a loan secured against his farm house and pay my client’s damages.”
Simon’s client commented:
“First of all I would like to say a massive thank you to Simon at Ison Harrison. The work he has put into this case was immense. When this case first started it looked like it was a dead end due to the farmer not having insurance. The bales that gave way came down on me weighing 752kg so you can imagine the damage these caused.
Twenty-two broken bones and metal plates in my leg. I was out of work for 5 months with only basic sick pay coming into my house. It was very stressful. I hit rock bottom but with Simon’s work to get me compensation I am finally back on my feet and back on the mend. Many thanks for that.”
The Health & Safety Executive publish figures annually in relation to fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain. Fatalities for employees working in this area are significantly higher than fatalities in other areas such as Construction.
If someone else is to blame for your injury, it may be possible to make a claim for damages. Our ethos is to make sure we cover every angle in order to maximise your claim to give you future security. The older you will thank the younger you. Simon has a reasonable case load so he can give cases the attention to detail they deserve and return calls within hours rather than weeks. He can be proactive rather than reactive. He does not have a case load in the hundreds as is the case at some other firms.
Simon looks forward to receiving new cases. He also frequently takes over a number of cases from clients who have been dissatisfied with their solicitors or from firms who have left the personal injury market (an increasing trend). If you have an injury claim large or small that you would like to discuss, or an existing claim that you are pursuing with another solicitor, please contact Simon Helliwell on 0113 2845048 or simon.helliwell@isonharrison.co.uk
