It was Friday, 27th of June 2014. It was the last day before holidays. He was putting about 50 pieces of glass weighing anything from 5 kg up to 120 kg. He had loaded 20 pieces of glass. He was loading the next piece of glass with a fellow workman. It weighed 120 kg. The guided maximum from the Health and Safety Authority is 25 kg. It was a dangerous and awkward lift from a stooped position. Gediminas felt back pain but kept working. As he worked on during the day his back felt worse. He told one of his fellow workmen that his back was in pain but never reported the accident.
When the Ryanair flight arrived in Kaunas he could barely move from his seat and then only with great pain. He spent the whole of his holiday at the doctor and in bed.
He reported the accident when he got back from holidays.
It turned out that he had received manual handling training but only for lifting boxes. Gloves and glass suckers were available but never used for lifting the glass as it took too long.
It turned out that Gediminas had had a back problem from lifting over 2 years prior to the accident.
The insurance company for the glass company defended the court proceedings. They said he had never reported the accident on time. They also said that his injuries had happened more than 2 years ago and that therefore it was too late to claim. In Irish law you only have 2 years from when you have an accident to lodge a claim. This is a huge problem for people with ongoing back complaints due to heavy lifting at work.
The defendants also said that because he didn’t report the accident on time that it could have happened anywhere. They specifically said that it could have happened while he was away on holidays in Lithuania.
Gediminas’ case was settled before going to court for €50,000. He had to give up heavy lifting work and find another job. If he had gone to a solicitor earlier and reported the accident when it happened he would have been awarded considerably more money.
Need Help?
Sužinokite, ar galite pateikti ieškinį.
The Dangers of over 50’s Equity release loans
Inheritance and Probate Follow us Related Stories June, a widow, lived in a beautiful five bedroom detached property in Dundrum that she had purchase with...
Widow betrayed in Will, a love story gone sour
Inheritance and ProbateFollow usRelated StoriesJulia and Martin met in 2005 while on a singles group skiing trip to Chamonix in France. They were initially...
Widow forced to sell house to fund step-daughter’s travels
Inheritance and ProbateFollow usRelated StoriesLorraine met David, a widower, in 1999 at a function in the Deelrovers GAA club in Crossmolina. They...