$XY compensation after man was blinded in one eye following an accident at work.
Lawyers win $XY for 42 year old man who suffered loss of vision in his left eye
Injuries: Loss of Vision in Left Eye
The plaintiff who worked on a construction site lost vision in his right eye after a metal shard flew into it. Safety goggles had not been provided nor had he been advised he needed them despite being tasked with drilling through metal.
The plaintiff went to the hospital for treatment where he was referred to an ophthalmologist to have the foreign object removed. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done and he lost sight in his right eye.
Follow Up Treatment
The plaintiff was given eye drops to take home to avoid the eye drying out too much. Also, he attended a follow-up appointment 2 weeks later to check the eye was healing and to see how he was coping with the loss of vision.
Lifestyle impact
The plaintiff found it very difficult to adjust to life after partially losing his vision. He went to the doctors and was given antidepressants.
Although his physical injuries had healed, his phycological injuries had not and he remained off work for 7 months.
Final Compensation Settlement
This case was unable to be settled out of court as the defendant was adamant, they were not liable for the plaintiff’s injury.
After both parties had put their argument across, the court ruled in the claimant’s favour.
The plaintiff’s workplace injury solicitors argued that as an employee of the company, it was their responsibility to provide any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that may have been required to complete the task at hand.
Because the company failed to provide this, they failed in their duty of care to their employee.
