Leisure Centre Work Accident in Glasgow

Our client has been an employee of Glasgow City Council for more than 25 years. At the time of his accident at work in February 2020, he was working at a leisure centre run by Glasgow Life, a charitable organisation delivering cultural, sporting and learning activities on behalf of the council.

He was referred to Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland so that we could pursue a work accident claim in Glasgow on his behalf.

The background

Part of our client's role as a leisure attendant was to set up and put away athletic equipment. On the day of the accident at work, he was in an indoor throwing area where he was tasked with setting up the shot put equipment. This entailed pulling a safety net around the throwing circle to catch stray throws.

Our client went to pull the net curtain out and realised it was tucked behind some metal bars used for pull-up exercises. As he pulled on the net to release it, something dislodged and fell from approximately 2m above him.

Our client was hit by a 2.75 kg outdoor shot – a piece of equipment which should not have been used in the indoor throwing area. He was struck in the face and the force of the falling object knocked him to the ground. The impact knocked our client's glasses of his face and he was immediately aware of pain on the right side of his face.

Several leisure centre employees assisted our client, including the assistant manager who took him to the staff room and gave him immediate first aid. Our client was advised to seek medical attention and he drove himself to the A&E department at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Our client was examined, X-rayed and given stitches to close the laceration to his right eyebrow. His face was swollen and bruised as a result of the impact.

The consequences

Our client returned to work the day after his accident at work in Glasgow, however he started to feel symptoms of anxiety within a few days. He made an appointment to see his GP, who signed him off work.

Our client continued to feel numbness on the right side of his face, and the psychological symptoms have been severe. He has been prescribed medication, including sleeping pills, to assist with these symptoms.

He was unable to return to work for more than six weeks.

The settlement

Thompsons' personal injury solicitors intimated a claim with Glasgow Life and liability was admitted.

We obtained a medical report which confirmed that our client had suffered right periorbital soft tissue bruising, right sided facial bruising, right eyebrow laceration, and right sided facial abrasions.

A further report confirmed that our client had suffered a recurrence of a moderate depressive disorder.

An initial settlement offer from the defender of £6,116.50 was rejected by our client. A further work accident compensation sum of £7,000 was put forward and our client was pleased to accept.

The settlement was agreed on 28 October 2021