M R Law has successfully recovered damages on behalf of a client who suffered spinal injuries when he fell from a ladder on his neighbour’s property.

The neighbour had asked our client to assist in mending guttering on his property after claiming he had correctly set up the ladder. The man climbed the ladder and commenced work on the guttering when the ladder collapsed causing him to fall approximately 20 feet to the ground and suffer a serious injury.

The injured man never knew the reason why the ladder collapsed but had placed his trust in his neighbour believing him when told the proposed method of working was safe, as it had been used in the past. The fact the ladder fell was good evidence in itself that it was not a safe system of work, irrespective of the precise reason for the collapsing ladder.

This case shows the importance of ensuring there is a safe method of working ~Ann Mahoney

Ann Mahoney, head of Personal Injury at M R Law, who worked on this case, comments:

“This case shows the importance of ensuring there is a safe method of working. Most employers understand their obligations to ensure their employees work safely, but the same principles apply if an individual invites others to do some work upon their behalf.”

Our client’s neighbour was responsible for ensuring there was a safe system of work and sadly, that was not the case resulting in our client suffering serious injuries.

“Although we remained confident of success, the insurance company representing our client’s neighbour continued to deny responsibility for the claim alleging there was no fault on his part,” continues Mahoney.

“However, we advised our client not to accept their denials and resolved the claim in his favour a few weeks prior to the final hearing.”

Although their delay in dealing with the claim caused our client unnecessary additional stress, we are glad he was able to achieve an excellent outcome by recovering the damages he was due.