The convenience shop worker was trapped under the caged trolley packed with alcohol and soft drinks
A 7ft high caged trolley fell on the shop worker as she tried to manoeuvre it.(Image: Hudgell Solicitors)
An East Yorkshire woman has secured thousands of pounds in compensation after she was crushed by a heavy roll cage. The convenience shop worker sustained three breaks to her pelvis, damage to her arm and head injuries when the 7ft-high, caged trolley loaded with alcohol and soft drinks, toppled on to her.
She could not handle its weight when it crushed her on the side of a busy road. The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, has received £46,000 in damages following the incident.
She said: “It was about 4pm and I went to the side of the shop to get the next cage for unloading. I dragged it to the front of the shop and remember thinking it was a lot heavier than usual. It was when it went up a slope off the pavement that I lost control, and it fell on me. I was in so much pain, and I remember someone trying to help me, but they couldn’t move it.
“In the end, it took three men to get the cage off me before the police came and shut down the road for passing vehicles. The ambulance eventually came after an hour’s wait, but already I knew I couldn’t move and realised this was serious.”
The convenience store’s owners at the time, McColl’s, accepted a breach of duty of care and admitted primary liability. The woman has since returned to work at the same shop, which is now a Morrisons Daily, but is now fearful of handling loaded container trollies.
She said: “We still have to take them into the shop, but I don’t touch the full ones, only the empty ones, as, mentally, that’s still too much for me to deal with. It took me a lot to go back into the shop – other people who work there were amazed I returned to work – but I convinced myself that it wouldn’t beat me.
“The specialists also couldn’t believe I’d made such a fast recovery, but everyone rallied round and I’m just getting on with things.”
The woman was represented throughout the compensation process by Mobeena Salim, a senior solicitor at Hudgell Solicitors. Ms Salim said: “This was an awful case that happily reached a satisfying outcome.
“She will, however, never forget what happened that day – the mental scars will always run deep – but she has shown unbelievable resilience, with the fact she has gone back to work at the same store testament to her fortitude.
“This was an utterly avoidable workplace accident, and it was most fortunate that she did not suffer even more significant injuries.
“We are pleased the store has taken steps to ensure this should never happen again, but, sadly, these sorts of incidents are becoming more commonplace in the workplace. If anyone has been in a similar situation, we strongly recommend contacting experienced personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.”