Arm injury at work resulted in £50,000 payout

A 29-year-old engineer received £50,000 in damages after an accident at work when routine maintenance at a bottled water factory led to a workplace accident and an injury that UK doctors said they were unable to treat after initial attempts at surgery.

He was working on a bottle making machine at the factory when he slipped on a mixture of water and oil that had accumulated on the floor. Machinery doors were open and the man’s shirt sleeve snagged as he fell, dragging his arm into the moving machinery.

The man received surgery on the injury after his accident at work but after three months off work his doctors decide there was nothing more that could be done to improve his condition.

He took a job at another company and decided to see specialist consultants in France for a second opinion, where they were able to provide diagnostic tests that are not available in Britain.

The surgeons in France discovered that the maintenance worker had suffered a compartment injury when his arm was pulled into the bottle making machine. This is what happens when a muscle swells to such a size that the muscle sheath cannot support it.

He was offered keyhole surgery on his arm to reduce the swelling and allow his arm to heal more efficiently. The injured man said that although his arm will not get better completely, he is pleased with his projected prognosis and the fact that the compensation awarded will pay for the private medical treatment that he received in France.