Plumber who suffered career-ending injury after tripping over rope receives six-figure sum

John’s whole life changed after he tripped over a rope on a building site. 

The 38-year-old was working on a construction site when he tripped over a rope that had been used to secure the perimeter fence. 

It caused John to fall and suffer a broken knee and leg – an injury that would, in the end, prevent him from working as a plumber ever again.

John said: “I was on my way from the van to where I was working on site when I went down.

“I just remember total and immediate pain.

“My left leg was absolutely shattered – I had breaks to my knee and my leg.

“I couldn’t move and was just stuck there on the ground so the bosses phoned an ambulance.”

John was taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he received surgery and was kept in hospital for 11 days.

However, he went to suffer an infection to the surgical wound which lengthened his recovery time. 

In the end it took John seven months for his physical wounds to heal however he was left with mobility issues that prevented him from returning to work as he could no longer kneel, squat or crawl.

Instead, he had to go back to higher learning to train as a sound engineer. 

He added: “I've worked in building sites for 20 odd years and they’ve always been dangerous places but this place was different.

“I'd complained about the mess at the site for weeks up to that – I even asked to get a move somewhere else but my concerns fell on deaf ears.

“Then, low and behold, this happens.”

A workplace accident claim investigation with David Wilson, Partner at Digby Brown in Glasgow, later found evidence that suggested shortcuts were taken in safe practices.

It turned out the rope was there to secure a fencing panel to a nearby scaffold so there was a break in the perimeter and workers could access the site.

However after a small skip was placed on top of the rope it became tight, resulting in a trip hazard.

David wrote to the site managers where John worked as they were the ones who had ultimate responsibility for his safety and well-being.

It was argued that they failed to conduct proper risk assessments which would have prevented the rope becoming a hazard and would have identified a safer way for workers to access the site.

In addition to compensation for pain and suffering, David also argued the change to John’s employment meant he lost out on significant future earnings compared to his future if he had not been injured.

After speaking with medical experts, David also argued John was 40% more likely to need a knee replacement within 10 years and should be compensated for future treatment as well.

The main site contractors disputed this and said they were not to blame so David raised a court action to progress the claim.

However it wasn’t long before the agents for the site contractors responded and agreed to settle the case out of court – they offered a six-figure sum which David knew was fair given his 30 years experience as a Glasgow personal injury lawyer.

Speaking of the support Digby Brown provided, John said: “The level of professionalism shown by David and the team was top class.

“I was put at ease throughout and the all round care and attentional to detail went far beyond my expectations. 

“Nothing was ever too much for them and they were always available if I had any questions.

“It’s been a hard few years. I miss not being able to help friends and family – I was a plumber so used to get asked for help a lot and it makes me sad that I can’t just jump under a sink and help people out like that anymore.

“But it is what it is. I just need to focus on the future which, thanks to David and his team, is now looking a lot better.”