Yorkshire woman crushed by container trolley at work gets £46,000 payout

The woman, who asked not to be named, would take the seven-foot-high caged trolley, stacked with alcohol and soft drinks, into her place of work as a retail assistant at a convenience store in East Yorkshire.

She could not handle the weight of the trolley and it tipped over, crushing her on the side of a busy road and also leaving her with injuries to her arm.

Police were forced to close the road while she was seen to by paramedics.

The woman said: “It was about 4pm and I went to the side of the shop to get the next cage for unloading. I dragged it to the front of the shop and remember thinking it was a lot heavier than usual.

“It was when it went up a slope off the pavement that I lost control, and it fell on me. I was in so much pain, and I remember someone trying to help me, but they couldn’t move it.

“In the end, it took men to get the cage off men before the police came and shut down the road for passing vehicles. The ambulance eventually came after an hour’s wait, but already I knew I couldn’t move and realised this was serious.”

The convenience store’s owners at the time, McColl’s, accepted a breach of duty of care and admitted primary liability.

She has since returned to work at the same shop, which is now a Morrisons Daily, but is now fearful of handling loaded container trollies.

She said:“We still have to take them into the shop, but I don’t touch the full ones, only the empty ones, as, mentally, that’s still too much for me to deal with.

“It took me a lot to go back into the shop – other people who work there were amazed I returned to work – but I convinced myself that it wouldn’t beat me.

“The specialists also couldn’t believe I’d made such a fast recovery, but everyone rallied round and I’m just getting on with things.”

The woman was represented by Mobeena Salim, a senior solicitor at Hudgell Solicitors, who helped her secure the compensation.

She said: It’s taken three years, but I’m thrilled they’ve finally taken liability and it’s dealt with.

“Mobeena has been fantastic all the way through and did brilliantly when she turned down their counteroffer.

“I cannot thank Mobeena enough. If anything like this happens to anyone, my advice would be to contact Hudgells as they handled my case so well from day one to the end.”

Ms Salim saluted her client for having the determination to make such a swift recovery, but admitted her injuries could have been far more severe.

She said: “This was an awful case that happily reached a satisfying outcome.

“She will, however, never forget what happened that day – the mental scars will always run deep – but she has shown unbelievable resilience, with the fact she has gone back to work at the same store testament to her fortitude.

“This was an utterly avoidable workplace accident, and it was most fortunate that she did not suffer even more significant injuries.

“We are pleased the store has taken steps to ensure this should never happen again, but, sadly, these sorts of incidents are becoming more commonplace in the workplace.

“If anyone has been in a similar situation, we strongly recommend contacting experienced personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.”