Amputee receives personal injury payout following work accident
A LABOURER who fell at work and had to have a leg amputated received a six-figure sum in compensation from his former employer.
Mr William Edge fell from his wet ladder onto concrete three metres below, breaking his ankle in the fall. After eight separate operations and sixteen months of treatment, his right ankle became infected and the decision was made to amputate his leg below the knee.
Mr Edge said the injury had taken away his career as well as leaving him traumatised, commenting “It’s difficult to comprehend how much my life has changed since this accident. It’s ruined my life in many ways. The most obvious effect has been on my mobility. I was fit, healthy and fully mobile before my accident.”
“I also suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder. I get flashbacks of the accident and the hospital.” Mr Edge was keen to stress that the infection was due to the break in his ankle, and not the standard of care at Derriford Hospital where he was taken.
Mr Edge received substantial personal injury compensation in an out-of-court settlement with building firm Ardmore Construction, his former employer.
A spokesperson for Ardmore Construction Limited said the company deeply regrets the accident, and that they “accept that there is always more that can be done to improve safety in the construction industry…we employ eight full-time safety officers who work tirelessly to prevent accidents. Although he was an older worker, Bill was fit, healthy and fully mobile, and considered more than able to climb a ladder.”