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26th March 2007

Bottle recycler wins compensation for leg injury

Personal Injury Claim

A woman whose trip to a recycling bottle bank resulted in a bad injury to her leg has won compensation after the local authority, the London Borough of Lewisham, admitted liability for her accident. With the help of her husband's union, PCS, and Thompsons Solicitors, the claimant, 46, of Melfield Gardens in South East London, secured compensation of £7,000.

The accident occurred when, in March 2004, the claimant took a small box of clear and green bottles to public banks on Westwood Hill, Upper Sydenham. Having deposited the clear bottles in one of the banks, she turned to her right to walk to the green bottle bank and her foot entered a large pothole causing her to fall heavily. The medical evidence confirmed that the claimant had suffered a leg injury and aggravation of a pre-existing knee condition.

Husband's Union Support Compensation Claim

Although the claimant doesn't work, she was able to seek compensation through her husband's union, PCS who passed the case onto Thompsons Solicitors.

Acting for the claimant, her personal injury lawyer at Thompsons Solicitors Angela Smart, said: "A gesture of goodwill ended disastrously for her, suffering instead from the pain and disability of a leg injury. The Borough of Lewisham owed a duty of care to ensure that people using the bottle banks were free from any danger of injury."

The borough admitted that it was largely responsible for the accident and eventually made an offer to settle the case.

Commenting, the claimant said: "I'm a keen recycler and have always tried to do my bit for the environment. I didn't expect though to end up with a bad leg injury as a result of my contribution. It's made me think twice about how public access points are maintained. I'm grateful for the specialist support provided by Thompsons in helping me to receive compensation which is higher than that initially offered by the Borough."

Compensation Claim Advice

If you or someone you know has suffered an injury or illness whilst in a public place, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim.  For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.

Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms.