A former lollipop lady, who suffered a broken wrist after tripping over a pothole, is to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

The Cambrian News is reporting that seventy eight year old Vera Grey, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, in Gwynedd, Wales, was attempting to cross the towns High Street but as she stepped backwards to allow for a car, that had pulled out from a street opposite, she fell over the pothole.

The former lollipop lady stated that she believed her wrist had been sprained in the accident but after visiting her GP a couple of days later, it was discovered that her wrist had been broken.

Mrs Grey told the newspaper that as she fell backwards over the hole, she had put out her arm in a vain attempt to save herself and she believes this is when she damaged her wrist.

The pensioner is now seeking personal injury compensation following her ordeal and the Welsh Government who are responsible for maintaining trunk roads in the area are said to be looking into the incident.

Mrs Grey worked as a lollipop lady for over thirty years and in 2004 was awarded a silver clock for her services to the town.

An engineer suffered serious crush injuries to his left arm, after becoming trapped in a bacon press.

Forty six year old Rui Sousa was working for Bury St Edmunds firm Orbital Foods Ltd and was re-furbishing the press for the company, who buy and sell machinery for the food processing industry.

Bury St Edmunds Magistrates’ Court, was told that the experienced engineer had over-ridden a safety device on the press and had left the air and power supply attached, when it suddenly closed, trapping his left arm in the mechanism.

Mr. Sousa suffered serious crush injuries in the accident, including deep cuts and a fracture, his injuries were so severe that he was unable to return to work for a period of four months.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and discovered that the company had failed to carry out an adequate risk assessment of the work involved and also failed to provide a safe system of working.

Orbital Foods Ltd, of Chapel Pond Hill, in Bury St Edmunds, was fined a total of £8,000 after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, following a successful prosecution by the HSE.

A Hertfordshire businessman, who suffered a stroke just over a month after being involved in a road traffic accident, has been awarded £2.4 million in compensation.

The London Evening Standard is reporting that fifty six year old Robert Bright, from Kings Langley, was travelling along the M27 when heavy traffic brought his car to a standstill, he was then shunted from behind by another vehicle, in what was a relatively minor collision.

Mr. Bright told the newspaper that he was thrown forwards by the impact of the crash and suffered headaches and neck pain which he attributed to whiplash, believing his symptoms would heal after a few days he carried on as normal with his day to day activities.

Unbeknown to Mr. Bright the whiplash injury had damaged a major artery in his neck, which led to him suffering a serious stroke, thirty four days after the initial car accident.

The stroke left him with a brain injury and without the full use of his left arm, effectively ending his career as a successful customer services and contracts manager.

Following a High Court hearing Mr. Bright was awarded £2.43 million in damages after medical evidence proved that the initial road traffic accident had ‘more than likely’ brought about the stroke.

The settlement will cover Mr. Bright’s long term care and rehabilitation costs, as well as compensate him for lost earnings.

A pupil at a school in the West Midlands suffered serious injury, after his hand became trapped in a bench sanding machine.

The eleven year old pupil, who has not been named, was studying at the Alderbrook School, in Solihull and was using the sanding machine during a design and technology lesson.

Solihull Magistrates’ Court was told that the year seven student’s left hand became trapped, in between the machines table edge and the spinning sanding disc.

The youngster suffered tendon damage to his fingers in the incident, which required specialised surgery and kept him away from school for several weeks.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the accident and discovered that although the machine did have a safety guard in place; it was designed more for adult use and did not prevent the smaller pupils hand from becoming trapped.

The investigation also revealed that the machine had been highlighted as a potential entrapment hazard, during a risk assessment carried out by the school but no attempt to modify the machine or seek safety advice from the manufacturer had been attempted.

The Alderbrook School, of Blossomfield Road, in Solihull, received a fine of £3,500 after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, following a successful prosecution by the HSE.

An adhesive tape manufacturer based in Essex has been prosecuted, after an employee suffered serious injuries in a fall from height accident.

The thirty four year old employee, who has asked not to be named, was attempting to change a light fitting at the Colchester premises of Adhere Industrial Tapes Ltd.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court was told that the employee was working from a makeshift platform, which consisted of a metal cage that had been placed on a wooden pallet and raised into position by a reach truck.

Unfortunately as he started work the cage toppled over, falling off the vehicles forks and sending the employee plummeting a distance of seven metres to the concrete floor below.

He suffered serious personal injury in the fall, including a fractured skull and fractures to his back, leg and wrist, he was hospitalised for ten days following the incident and required surgery.

The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after an investigation revealed that the work platform used, lacked the necessary safety measures to help prevent a fall.

Adhere Industrial Tapes Ltd, of the Whitehall Industrial Estate, in Colchester, Essex, received a £12,000 fine, after admitting breaching Health and Safety Regulations.

Fall from height accidents, are one of the biggest causes of work related serious injuries and fatalities in the UK today.

A roofing company has been prosecuted after an employee fell six metres from the roof of a house he was re-tiling.

Twenty six year old Lee Hanson, from South Shields, was employed by Newlook Roof Coatings, of Monmouth and was replacing tiles on the roof of a domestic property in Cirencester, when the accident happened.

Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, was told that Mr. Hanson was working from a roof ladder when he lost his footing and plummeted a distance of almost six metres to the ground below.

The roof worker suffered cuts, bruises and a broken wrist in the fall but his injuries could have been a lot more severe had his fall not been broken by a bush.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and discovered that Newlook Roof Coatings had not provided adequate equipment or the protection necessary, to safeguard employees working at height.

Newlook Roof Coatings Ltd of Wonastow Road, in Monmouth, was fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of the Work at Height Regulations.

Speaking after the court hearing a HSE inspector stated that the worker was extremely lucky to have had his fall broken by a bush, as fall from height accidents often lead to serious personal injury or even death.

A worker at a steel firm based in Preston, suffered serious internal injuries after being impaled by an industrial drill.

Forty five year old Joseph Spencer was employed by Leach Structural Steel Work Ltd, at their factory in Claughton on Brock, when he attempted to fix a fault on the industrial drilling machine, which was not feeding coolant correctly onto the machines drills.

Preston Crown Court, was told that the worker had gained access to the machine through a loosened fence panel, which other workers at the factory regularly used as a gate, however as he attempted to cure the coolant problem one of the drills began moving towards him, piercing his overalls and coming to rest close to his spine.

Mr. Spencer suffered serious personal injury in the accident, including a split bowel and a twisted pelvis but was lucky not to be paralysed, as the drill came to a stop dangerously close to his spine.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that by using the fence panel, workers by-passed the machines photoelectric light guards, which stopped the machine automatically, this was done because there had been previous instances of the machine being difficult to re-start after the safety guards had been activated.

Leach Structural Steel Work Ltd was prosecuted by the HSE and fined £20,000 after admitting a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.

A woman, who broke her back, after falling down outdoor steps as she moved into her new home, is seeking a six figure sum in compensation.

Forty four year old Gillian Drysdale was carrying items up to her new house in Harwich, Essex, during a heavy downpour of rain, when she slipped as she walked backwards up the steps carrying a box.

Ms Drysdale, who now has to walk with the aid of a stick, after breaking her back in the fall, has launched a claim for personal injury compensation against her landlord, who she claims was responsible for the accident.

Her legal team are arguing that the steps, which led up to the Victorian property had been painted, which made them slippery in the wet conditions and no safety rail was present, despite there being an eight foot drop on one side.

Lawyers representing the landlord are contesting liability for the incident, stating that Ms Drysdale by walking up the steps backwards was obviously not looking where she was going.

A ruling on the case, which is being heard at the High Court in London, is expected at a later date.

A Somerset man suffered serious personal injury, when he was blown from the top of a shipping container by a gust of wind.

Sixty four year old Barry Walton, from Taunton, was working for Vion Foods UK Ltd, at their food manufacturing plant in Wiveliscombe and was standing on top of the container unloading metal sheeting from a fork lift truck.

Taunton Magistrates court was told that a gust of wind unbalanced the employee and he fell almost two and a half metres to the ground below.

Mr. Walton was off work for several weeks, after breaking his ribs and damaging muscles in his shoulder and his leg.

An investigation into the incident by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Vion Foods had not carried out a proper risk assessment of the work involved and although the worker was being supervised, he had not received adequate training in working at height.

Vion Foods UK Ltd was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay a total of £4,400 in court costs after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, following a successful prosecution by the HSE at Taunton Magistrates court.

A six year old girl left severely brain damaged after her parents car was involved in a collision with another vehicle, has been awarded more than £5 million in car accident compensation.

Cerys Edwards, of Sutton Coldfield, was just eleven months old when her family’s car was hit head on by another vehicle, which was travelling on the wrong side of the road.

Cerys was left badly brain damaged following the crash and has had to endure dozens of operations, she now requires twenty four hour round the clock care.

Nineteen year old Antonio Boparan of Little Aston, in Sutton Coldfield, was reportedly travelling at seventy miles per hour in a thirty mile per hour zone, when his Range Rover Sport hit the Edwards car head on.

The son of a millionaire Boparan, who had only passed his driving test six months earlier, was originally sentenced to twenty one months imprisonment after being found guilty of dangerous driving, however he was released after just six months, under curfew conditions.

Cerys was awarded £5 million in compensation at Birmingham County Court and was guaranteed annual payments of £450,000, to cover the cost of her ongoing care for the rest of her life.