Mr Simon Helliwell in our personal injury department recently obtained compensation in the sum of £26,000.00 for his retired client following a slip in communal floors in a block of flats. The cleaner had just mopped the floor and it appears that he used either the wrong type or wrong amount of cleaning product.
These types of cases can be difficult to win. Expecting a denial in relation to liability Mr Helliwell obtained witness statements. Fortunately for the Claimant a witness was an NHS worker who had just visited the flats to see a patient who described the floor as “ridiculously slippery and I had to stop myself from slipping and I was wearing safety boots. The Paramedics tuned up and they were slipping all over the place”.
A statement was also obtained from the Paramedic who attended who stated “On a scale of 1-10 I would rate the slipperiness of the floor as ten. I was slipping on the floor during the attend. The stretcher with the brakes applied was also slipping. I remember talking to the cleaner and he said I have reported how slippery it is however we have been told to use the cleaning product provided”
Despite this witness evidence the Defendant denied liability and denied that the floor was slippery and that they had a safe system of cleaning which was adhered to.
Legal proceedings were eventually commenced and following disclosure of the an email from the Paramedic the Defendant unsurprisingly changed their stance and quickly settled the claim.
Simon’s client says “I am very pleased with the way my case was dealt with. Simon kept me in the loop every step of the way. Excellent job well done. Thank you, I am very grateful”.
Simon says:- The evidence against the cleaner and Defendant was overwhelming. Despite this they deliberately lied about how slippery the floor was. If a Claimant lies or exaggerates their claim their cases are struck out and they will have to pay both sides costs. Essentially, there are no sanctions against a Defendant who deliberately lies unless the case proceeds to Trial.
Simon likes to give the personal touch and his attention to detail is exceptional. He has the ability to quickly identify the core issues of a case; apply the law; identify what evidence is required to prove the key issues of a case; he is not afraid to speculate and his negotiating skills are second to none.
He has lost count of the times he has taken over cases where clients have been dis-satisfied with their former Solicitors with complaints such as “they never call me back and we wait weeks/months for a reply”.
The last thing a seriously injured client wants is their case to be dealt with by a junior fee earner who is juggling a case load in the hundreds. In the personal injury department we all have manageable case loads. By doing this we can focus entirely on each individual case; be pro-active rather than reactive; be aggressive when needed and never take our eye of the ball.
You will be our client and not just a number; you will be looked after rather than fobbed off and you will achieve a good or reasonable settlement rather than an under settlement.
Simon is a Senior Chartered Legal Executive within the firm’s Personal Injury team and is now in his 20th year at Ison Harrison. He welcomes any personal injury claim large or small.
If you have any personal injury claim or wish to discuss transferring your case from you present Solicitor. Please telephone Simon Helliwell on 0113 284 5048 for a free consultation. He will be glad to hear from you.