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19th February 2008

Negligence at Port of Tyne Authority leads to payout for a boatman from Tyne and Wear who suffered knee injuries

Injured Knee at Work

Negligence at the Port of Tyne Authority has led to a damages payout for a boatman from Tyne and Wear who injured his knee due to the unsafe means of access to and from his boat onto the loading / unloading dock.

William Lively, from North Shields, Tyne and Wear, secured his compensation with the support of his trade union GMB and their personal injury specialists Thompsons Solicitors.

The case settled 11 days before trial.

Mr Lively worked as a boatman on the Norman Forster passenger boat in Tyne Dock. His job was to pile up the boat and ensure that passengers got on and off the boat safely. Whenever the boat came into the dock it would bob up and down and rock backwards and forwards, so he had to jump down onto the pontoon step while the boat was moving. The pontoon step was right by the edge of the riverside. The step was always well below the height of the vessel so he couldn’t easily step down onto it. Instead he had to jump off and often landed very heavily on his knee because of the momentum.

Poor Health and Safety Procedures

Mr Lively, aged 55, explains: “I’ve clearly injured my right knee from years of having to jump down from the boat onto a narrow metal step situated on the pontoon. I did this up to 20 times per day for over 15 years. In fact I’m the longest serving boatman there. It’s really unsafe because there was no handrail on the step and there are also no posts to secure the rope to until I’m already off the boat.”

“Activities such as climbing up and down stairs, in and out of the car, sitting down and standing up can now be very difficult for me and I’m concerned that if my knee problems get worse, I’ll have to be taken off the boats. If that happens, I will either be made redundant or I’ll be put on security or something similar.”

Tom Brennan, Regional Secretary for GMB said: “William Lively’s case proves again that employers cannot get away with poor health and safety. There was a safer system with a proper loading platform, at the same height as the boat, in operation on the other side of the river. This could easily have been installed at Tyne Dock and would therefore have avoided risk of injury.”

Representing William Lively, Michael Bray, from Thompsons Solicitors in South Shields, explains: “Mr Lively has been told that his knee is unlikely to improve and that he will most likely need joint replacement surgery at some stage in the future.”

Compensation Claim Advice

If you or anyone you know has suffered an injury, illness or disease at work, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim including claims for workplace accidents. 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.