£30,000 payout after woman slips on pallet

Katrin Weiss was working as an operations manager for Rotherham-based window frame and door manufacturer Bereco Ltd at the time of the incident in February 2011. She was covering for a colleague at the time.

Miss Weiss said her injury left her unable to work for over a year and has still not healed despite physiotherapy and several painful operations.

Medics have inserted a metal frame inside her foot which they say could lead to her suffering from a degenerative form of arthritis in the future.

Speaking about her ordeal, Miss Weiss, who now lives in Germany, said: “I couldn’t see where the pallet actually ended, so when I stepped on the end of the plywood it just gave way and I crashed to the floor.

“The pain was absolutely excruciating. Thankfully the driver of the lorry heard me screaming, and came to help before rushing me off to the Northern General Hospital.”

Miss Weiss moved back to her home town in Germany in August 2011, but she was unable to find work again until April 2012 because of her injuries.

Sally Rissbrook, a workplace injury expert at Irwin Mitchell which represented Miss Weiss, said: “Katrin was injured after having been asked to help out to cover someone else’s job that she wasn’t trained for.

“Thankfully, Bereco admitted liability for Katrin’s injuries after an internal investigation and the settlement has been agreed, meaning she can put the incident behind her and move on with her life in Germany.

“We hope that this case brings the importance of good health and safety in the workplace to the attention of employers.”