Personal injury news

School worker who fell from toilet awarded compensation

A school clerical assistant who suffered personal injuries while attempting to open a window has been awarded £15,900 in work accident compensation.

The 64-year-old employee from Glasgow had been standing on a toilet bowl in an attempt to open a window out of courtesy to others using the cubicle, when she fell and injured her foot.

Her personal injuries were so severe that the worker had to endure surgery to treat the fractures and a detached Achilles tendon that had been sustained in the work accident.

Now four years on, the woman has still not completely recovered from her injuries and continues to suffer from stiffness and pain.

Her first claim for compensation was denied after a judge decided that the woman should not have been attempting the risky manoeuvre. However, this was overruled at a court of appeal when the judge declared that the school should have provided an aid to help users open the high window. The woman was awarded £15,900 in work accident compensation.

The original amount of work accident compensation had been assessed at £31,800 but the judges decided that the woman had equally contributed to causing the accident.