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News Desk | News Story
27th May 2009
Derek Walters from Watford in Hertfordshire is facing surgery on his hand after his finger was slit open by a piece of broken glass left in the driver’s cab.
Aslef member Mr Walters, 45, thought the cut would heal, but after two weeks he went to hospital where he discovered the glass had cut through a nerve in the little finger of his right hand.
He has long term damage to the finger and needs an operation to reattach the nerve. The injury means he has problems when playing sport including golf and cricket.
The accident happened after Mr Walters’ union Aslef had complained about the standard of cleanliness in the drivers' cabs. Their concerns were ignored by bosses at London Underground Limited.
Just a few weeks later Mr Walters was injured. He got in touch with his union Aslef which instructed its lawyers Thompsons Solicitors to pursue a claim for accident compensation.
London Underground denied liability throughout the claim but settled it out of court just eight days before it was due to go to trial.
Mr Walters said: “What may seem like a silly accident has had a real affect on my life. I have been in and out of hospital visiting consultants to find out exactly what is wrong with my finger. I am now due to have surgery on it to reattach the nerve. It means I will have to take three weeks off work.
“What is even more frustrating is we had complained about the state of the driver’s cabs and nothing was done. I just hope by claiming compensation that they will finally do something to solve this problem.”
ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman said the union is campaigning across the country to improve cab conditions.
He said: “Train driving is a highly responsible job and to stay alert we need at least standards that are the norm in a modern car, like air conditioning and properly designed seats. It is ludicrous that drivers with responsibility for million-pound trains endure conditions you wouldn’t tolerate in an old car.”
Kam Singh from Thompsons Solicitors added: “Employers must provide their employees with a safe working environment. London Underground failed to provide Mr Walters with a clean place of work which led to a severe injury to his finger which has had a substantial effect on his life. We hope London Underground will now take their employees’ concerns seriously and will endeavour to achieve a high standard of cleanliness in their drivers' cabs.”
If you or anyone you know has suffered an injury at work, 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 personal injury compensation claim forms.