Jonathan Cornwell recently settled a difficult accident at work case involving six companies
Our client was injured whilst working within a wind turbine. A large metal access hatch detached from its fittings and fell 25 feet before striking him on his arm. He suffered a fractured elbow and developed a condition known as “cubital tunnel syndrome”. He went on to develop PTSD and depression as a result of the accident.
How we helped our client
We raised court proceedings against our client’s employers. They then brought a number of other companies who had been present on site at the time of the accident into the court action, arguing that they were responsible for the accident. There were eventually 6 companies involved in the court action; all registered in different countries. The witnesses to the accident and the relevant materials were also located in a variety of different countries. The number of companies involved and the contracts in place between them made this a particularly complex case.
Settlement
The defenders tried to argue that the case had been raised against the wrong company. They admitted that there were links between two companies, but it was argued that they were separate. We had to instruct German solicitors to carry out investigations in the German transparency register in order to identify mutual directors for both companies. Our German solicitors identified nominated shareholders and made a connection between two of the parties to the action. Ultimately, the case was successfully settled in the sum of £400,000.
