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Compensation for teacher’s fall on public footpath

Personal injury solicitor, Lucy Flynn, has won £11,000 compensation for a woman following an accident accessing a public footpath.

compensation-for-woman-who-falls-down-stepFall caused by uneven steps

Ms B is a teacher at a primary school in Derbyshire.  On the day of the accident she was leaving the school premises and took a step on to the public footpath when she fell on an uneven step that she was unaware of.  Trying to stop herself falling, she put out her arm but fell on the floor against some metal railings.  An ambulance was called and Ms B was taken to A & E at the Royal Derby Hospital.

X-rays showed that Ms B had dislocated her shoulder.  Her arm was put in a sling and she was given painkillers.  She was referred to the fracture clinic, where she returned the next day, and was advised to do gentle mobilisation on the affected arm.  Over the following weeks, Ms B had physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.

5 months later, Ms B’s movement was still restricted and she was told to do exercises that related to a frozen shoulder.  A subsequent ultrasound examination showed that Ms B  a tendon tear in her shoulder.  A further 6 months later, she had an operation to repair the tear and has made a good recovery since.

Lucy-Flynn-wins-compensation-for-woman-who-falls-down-step

Lucy Flynn

Fall causes emotional as well as physical injury

Apart from the physical injury, Ms B has suffered from mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.  A usually confident person, in a busy job, the whole experience left her feeling more emotionally distressed than previously and she has been treated with cognitive behaviour therapy.

Looking for redress, Ms B contacted Graysons and Lucy took up the case.  Lucy pursued the local authority that was responsible for the school land.  Liability was admitted and Lucy negotiated a settlement of £11,000.

Duty to maintain public property

All owners of public property have a duty to maintain it so that it is safe for users and on this occasion the local authority breached that duty.

If you have an accident on public property, because that property has not been properly maintained, you may be able to claim personal injury compensation. Contact our injury and accident experts now for a no obligation discussion about your matter.

You can find out more about claiming compensation for accidents that happen in public places on our web pages.

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