A UNITE  member employed as mechanic in a Glasgow garage has been paid a huge settlement following an accident at work. The member was a long standing employee at the city centre garage but has not been not been able to return to work since the incident. ON the day of the accident he was instructed by his employers to go to the basement to collect some tools. ON making his way down the stairs the handrail on the side wall came away and he fell down a large flight of stair landing very heavily.

He was immediately taken to hospital where doctors identified that he had damage to his spinal cord. He was in considerable pain and his mobility was restricted. Officials from UNITE put the member in touch with their lawyers at Thompsons Solicitors who specialise in workplace accidents of this type.

IN this particular case the employer’s insurers knew that they were liable but did everything they could to try and downplay the level of the member’s injuries. Thompsons secured medical reports from the best consultants dealing with spinal injuries and when this evidence was presented the employers decided to seek settlement.

Given the nature of the injuries, the pain and suffering of the member and the fact that recovery was likely to take a while the final settlement amount was £251,000. This represents a very significant award but no less than he was due.

Commenting on the outcome the member said “I’m completely flabbergasted. In knew I might get quite a large amount but I’m bowled over by this. The insurance company tried as hard as they could to reduce the amount I would receive by making out that I wasn’t that badly hurt. My Lawyer Wendy Durie advised that this was a standard tactic they would use and told me not to worry. Thompsons arranged for me to be seen by various doctors and that helped a lot in getting them to come to the table with this amazing offer.”

The members lawyer Wendy Durie said “We’re very pleased with this result. It shows why it’s so important to have specialist personal injury lawyers as part of your trade union membership. Without our experience of the tactics used by insurance companies this gentlemen may not have received this level of pay-out. It was only fair that he did given how serious his injuries were.”