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30th January 2008

Negligence at a Welsh mine leads to £105,000 pay out for collier who had to be
medically retired

Accident at Work caused Broken Vertebrae

Negligence at a Welsh mine has led to a £105,000 pay out for a collier who had to be medically retired after a falling stone broke a vertebrae in his neck. The man, from Rhondda, South Wales, secured the compensation with the support of his trade union – the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) – and their personal injury specialists Thompsons Solicitors.

Alun Finney worked as a collier for Energybuild Limited at their Aberpergwm Colliery. Because the colliery failed to ensure that the exposed coal face was properly supported before boring, Mr Finney was struck by a falling stone on the back of the head and sustained a fractured vertebra in his cervical spine.

Mr Finney, aged 55, explains: “We were boring a coal face ready for charging and firing. As I bent down to pick up the drill bit off the floor, a large piece of stone fell, striking me on the back of my neck. I was wearing my miner’s cap at the time. My body immediately felt numb; I had no sensation and I couldn’t move. I was taken to hospital and told I’d broken a vertebra. Since then I’ve suffered ongoing pain and stiffness in my back and neck, as well as headaches, blurred vision and flashbacks to the accident.”

“The accident had a huge impact on my life. My contract was terminated, and my injuries mean that I can’t return to heavy work which is all I’ve ever known. There are very few jobs out there for somebody at my age with no experience who is just looking for light work. I am not even being considered for interview which is very disheartening.”

Injury at Work caused miner to retire

Wayne Thomas, General Secretary, NUM South Wales, comments: “Had it not been for the accident at work, our member Alun Finney would have continued to work in the mining industry until the normal retirement age of 65 years. Instead, he now faces over 10 years of uncertainty. We hope this serves as a warning to other employers to ensure that the correct health and safety procedures are in place.”

Representing Mr Finney, William Gasson, from Thompsons Solicitors in Cardiff, comments: “Alun Finney holds no formal qualifications save for those as a collier and has always earned a living through manual labour. Due to his injuries, manual work was ruled out so he never returned to work at the colliery following the accident. We are very pleased that his case has settled successfully; the compensation will help to secure his future.”

This story was also published by icWales.co.uk.

Compensation Claim Advice

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 personal injury claim including claims for accidents at work. 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.