TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER
Well-known member
Construction worker wins multi-million pound compensation deal after scaffolding accident
The man from Edinburgh almost died after falling 80ft while working on a hospital building.
03 October 2011 18:43 BST
On site: The man was working on a hospital in Newcastle.
An Edinburgh construction worker who suffered severe injuries when he fell 80ft from an unsecured scaffolding platform has accepted millions of pounds in compensation.
The accident at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, in 2006, left the 38-year-old with severe head injuries and both legs shattered.
The High Court in London heard that his life may have been saved by the fact that the incident happened at a hospital and medics were able to attend to him quickly.
The man, whose identity is protected by a court order, sued Laing O'Rourke Construction Ltd, whose insurers agreed a compensation package starting with a £2m lump sum.
He will also receive tax-free and index-linked annual payments to cover the increasing costs of his care for the rest of his life.
The payments will begin when he reaches the age of 45 at £65,000 a year, rising to £105,000 when he turns 55 and £150,000 a year in retirement.
The court was told that five years after the accident, there was still a "real prospect" that the man would need to have one or both lower legs amputated.
He had "made a brave fist of the hand fate dealt him" and, with the selfless support of his mother and wider family, is optimistic about the future, said his barrister Jonathan Watt-Pringle.
Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Royce told the man, who sat in court with his mother and sister: "It is quite clear that you have faced the consequences of this terrible accident with immense courage, fortitude and determination."
The man from Edinburgh almost died after falling 80ft while working on a hospital building.
03 October 2011 18:43 BST
On site: The man was working on a hospital in Newcastle.
An Edinburgh construction worker who suffered severe injuries when he fell 80ft from an unsecured scaffolding platform has accepted millions of pounds in compensation.
The accident at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, in 2006, left the 38-year-old with severe head injuries and both legs shattered.
The High Court in London heard that his life may have been saved by the fact that the incident happened at a hospital and medics were able to attend to him quickly.
The man, whose identity is protected by a court order, sued Laing O'Rourke Construction Ltd, whose insurers agreed a compensation package starting with a £2m lump sum.
He will also receive tax-free and index-linked annual payments to cover the increasing costs of his care for the rest of his life.
The payments will begin when he reaches the age of 45 at £65,000 a year, rising to £105,000 when he turns 55 and £150,000 a year in retirement.
The court was told that five years after the accident, there was still a "real prospect" that the man would need to have one or both lower legs amputated.
He had "made a brave fist of the hand fate dealt him" and, with the selfless support of his mother and wider family, is optimistic about the future, said his barrister Jonathan Watt-Pringle.
Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Royce told the man, who sat in court with his mother and sister: "It is quite clear that you have faced the consequences of this terrible accident with immense courage, fortitude and determination."