Wakefield Man Lucky To Get Out Alive

A Wakefield resident is feeling lucky after over turning his pallet truck while working at the Morrisons depot, located on the J41 Industrial Estate.

He was working as normal and turned the pallet truck he was driving. The shift in weight caused his foot to accidently come off the pedal, which triggered an automatic braking system. Due to the momentum the pallet truck had gathered this sudden stop caused it to topple over. He managed to jump free and get out of the way of the falling truck. While this may have saved his life, the impact with the seat and then the ground gave him a serious back injury, which meant he couldn’t work for four weeks.

Through their solicitors, Morrisons denied that the accident was their fault, saying that there was nothing wrong with the truck. They blamed driver error despite the fact that there had been a spate of similar incidents.

Liddys Solicitors took the case on. We firmly believed that it was not good enough for an employer to allow these very heavy machines to be at risk of tipping from the accidental engagement of the braking system.

Despite many attempts to settle the claim, Morrisons denied liability throughout. It was only when Court proceedings were issued did they agree to settle the claim, although they made no admissions about responsibility.

Workplace claims can be very difficult, even in low value claims like this one, especially when claiming against a corporation the size of Morrisons. However, with the knowledge Liddy’s has we know when there is reasonable grounds for a claim and will pursue it with all we have. But more importantly, we have the experience necessary to know when, and how, to apply pressure to get the best for our clients.

The claimant recovered damages of £4,000 for his injuries, some limited loss of earnings and other losses. He could easily have been killed in this accident and in our experience, if the losses had been greater, defendants generally are even more determined to defend the case.

If you have a need for a solicitor in a workplace accident, a claim against the local authority of an occupier of premises, a road traffic accident or in clinical negligence matters, please telephone us on 01924 780 753.