While it seems they have nothing in common, both a whiplash claim and a claim for asthma both made big news this week.
Personal injury solicitors won a personal injury compensation award of £15,000 for a man whose asthma was triggered by exposure to dangerous fumes. Firefighter Leigh Payne, who was employed at Exeter and Devon Airport, was exposed to unfiltered red diesel fumes, noxious substances that would collect in plane cargo holds after being emitted from power tugs and other related vehicles.
Many of Mr Payne’s working days would be spent in exposure to these fumes, sometimes for more than two hours at time, as he removed baggage and post from planes, until he was diagnosed with occupational asthma in 2010, resulting in him having to take time off work in order to recover. Once it became clear that Mr Payne’s asthma had been triggered by diesel fumes exposure, the firefighter made a claim for personal injury at work against the airport, with the end result being the man has been awarded £15,000 for his pain and suffering.
While it’s been a happy ending for Mr Payne, one injured scholgirl’s story is far from over; Amber Dunkley, just 13 years old, was struck by a bus while waiting at bus stop in Cemaes, Wles, just a week ago.Young Amber had been speaking to her friends, reportedly standing on the pavement, when she was struck from behind on the shoulder by the bus, allegedly causing not just a whiplash injury but also injuring her shoulder and back, necessitating three day off school and the prescription of painkillers in order for her to cope with the injuries.
Amber’s parents have since made a complaint about the bus driver’s behaviour, asserting that she was a foot away – or more – from the road at the time of the accident, despite the fact that the driver said to one of her friends that Amber had been standing too close to the road. The callous driver allegedly didn’t even inquire if she had been injured after Amber boarded the bus in the wake of the incident.
Nice bloke, to say the least. The upside of this is that the bus company, education authority, and police are all reportedly investigating the incident in an effort to get to the bottom of things.