£9k payout for man who trapped his thumb in sports centre door

“its disgusting that people who have genuine accidents cant claim yet those that have minor ones through stupidity can!”

“I would just like to add to these comments, I had a work accident around 6 months ago where i slipped on a wet floor, no signs were up, poor lighting in the area. I had to be first aided by someone from a neighbouring building, thankfully someone used their common sense and called an ambulance where i was taken to A&E and was sent home on crutches with torn ligaments and muscle damage. I was very upset when i tried to make a claim that my boss decided to try and "talk me out of it" so i went ahead and tried to claim anyway. Now i hear that i probably dont have a leg to stand on as its my word against theirs..... So, i am still suffering with my knee, cant make a claim to support the money i have spent travelling to hospital etc to get better, yet someone traps their thumb in a door and gets half my years salary, please, get a B*****y grip man!!!!!! Just shows what kind of a country we live in, a S**T one at that.”

“@TimMessanger surely legal costs are paid by the case loser, in this case the negligent council. As the architects contract was with the council, the council's insurance company might explore if some of their liability could not be recovered from the architects.”

“@eyeopener - my point is that if the total of the payout is 9K then the amount the victim of this incident will receive will be a fraction of the 9K also should it not be the architects that pay out for their poor design?”

“Hmmmm thats one posting that didn't read as I intended it to. I meant that reading the article was like a three card trick as often seen at fairs etc. There were two victims, but as the article progresses and other readers contributions are read (my thanks to Ysedra for the link to the parish council minutes of Waterwells Sports Council 21st March); the number of victims stay constant, but their faces change!

Finally we see that the parish council were .......... Ah well I think you will have got the idea by now!”

“@TimMessanger this was a very poorly written article. The victim is portrayed as avaricious and the council and council tax payers as victims. I feel as if I were discussing a "three card trick". Yes there were two victims and they were the man who lost the top of his thumb through an entirely avoidable accident with a door that did not have an inside door handle. If the door had had a handle like most doors (other than for broom cupboards) on the inside as well as outside, the accident could have been avoided. Was this not negligence on the Parish Councils part?

The Citizen for political reasons, and the parish council for expediency have blamed the victim and yet if the parish council's insurance premiums rise and so cost the local tax payers it will in reality be the fault of the parish council who neglected the obvious. All these crocodile tears on their part won't wash.”

“@Ms_Superstar the point is quite often it's cheaper to pay out than fight and win, the insurer won't get costs back against a claimant or the claim company.

- A recently reported compensation claim for a work-related injury for £12,750 settled out of court attracted legal costs of £74,000. After hearing about the case, Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, said of the case that there is something "out of kilter" in the civil justice system.
- A legal bill of £37,250 was run up in settling a claim for £15,000 in respect of injuries sustained by a woman who fell into the moat at a castle (source: National Trust).
- Between 2004-2011 there has been a 5% rise in NHS legal costs, but a 130% increase in claimant legal costs. In the financial year 2010/2011 the NHS paid out £257 million in lawyers' fees following claims.”

“The 'team' seems to consist of one new journo (on work experience?), so no surprise if slips occur.

Any news yet about what compensation the woman got?”

“The ABI said that one insurer's average claimant legal costs in 2010 represented 142% of the sums received by injured victims.”

“Pity you need to read the comments to understand the real issue. ZERO OUT OF TEN FOR THE CITIZEN- were some of the team in too much of a hurry to get to the pub on Friday night??”