Man wins £250,000 payout for bar blow

David Prince, 58, was inspecting a lorry in his role as a reception assistant at Rampton secure mental hospital, in north Notts, and had asked the driver to open the side curtains of the vehicle so he could check the load.

As he was in the process of carrying out the inspection, the driver of the lorry, owned by EH Lee, which is based in Peterborough but has depots in Doncaster and Lincoln, let go of the curtain and the iron bar attached to it.

The bar hit Mr Prince on the head and he became dizzy, his vision blurred and he suffered from severe pain, extreme tiredness and nausea. He was then taken to hospital and discharged to return to work.

Following his accident, Mr Prince said he began to suffer from chronic headaches, an inability to concentrate and out-of-character behaviour. He approached his union, Unison, which instructed lawyers to pursue a claim against E H Lee.

The company settled out of court, and yesterday Mr Prince said he was pleased with the compensation he had received and added: "The process was very difficult, but if it hadn't been for Unison I really don't know where I'd be.

"As far as everyday life goes, it's nothing like it used to be. Getting the compensation has made a great difference, as it's taken away a lot of worries about the future."

Ashling King, from Thompsons Solicitors, who brought the case on behalf of Mr Prince, said: "This is an excellent result for Mr Prince, who's one of the most genuine people you could meet.

"With the assistance offered by his union, Unison, and with the compensation he has received, hopefully Mr Prince will be in a position to try to get on with his life as best as possible."

Mr Prince's wife Deborah said: ""I am relieved that David and I can now attempt to continue with our lives.

"Everything changed overnight after the accident and it has been a real struggle.

"I am so pleased that we have some security for the future."