Workplace injury · Anonymised case study
Lalloo Solicitors acted for a warehouse worker who suffered a serious left-foot injury in a forklift accident.
The claim had a total value of €400,000. It settled on a 50% liability basis, without admission of liability, and the client received €200,000.
The case illustrates two separate issues in a workplace injury claim: responsibility for the accident and the lasting consequences of the injury.
The client was moving pallets using a forklift when it struck a barrier while turning. The accident resulted in the client’s left foot being crushed.
The injuries included extensive damage to the skin and underlying tissues. Treatment subsequently involved partial amputation of the foot and skin grafting.
The claim alleged problems with the warehouse layout, the positioning of barriers and aspects of the forklift’s safety equipment. These were allegations raised in the proceedings, not findings made by a court.
The prosthetic and orthotic assessment examined how the injury affected everyday movement and work.
At that assessment, the client walked with a limp and experienced pain and sensitivity around the remaining foot. Difficulty crouching and the need to adapt lifting were also recorded.
The experts regarded the disability as permanent. Their recommendations included specialist footwear support, an orthosis and an improved partial-foot prosthesis, together with future replacements and follow-up.
These were recommendations for ongoing support—not a statement that every proposed device had already been supplied or would remove the disability.
The client had returned to the same warehouse in a different role.
That was an important part of the evidence. The client remained capable of working, but the assessment recorded continuing limitations affecting movement and physical tasks.
The case was therefore not presented as permanent inability to work. It concerned the actual difficulties documented after the injury, alongside the specialist recommendations for future support.
The total claim value was €400,000 before the agreed liability reduction. Settlement on a 50% liability basis resulted in the client receiving €200,000.
This was a negotiated settlement without admission of liability, not a court judgment deciding fault or awarding €400,000.
The distinction matters: the seriousness of an injury and the liability position are separate questions. Here, the agreed liability compromise directly affected the amount paid.
A serious workplace injury needs more than a description of the operation or the initial hospital treatment. The evidence should explain its practical consequences: walking, physical tasks, work adaptations and future equipment needs.
This case also shows why a return to work must be described accurately. Continuing employment and lasting disability can both form part of the same account.
For related information, read our guide to accidents at work. Information about Lalloo Solicitors and its personal injury work is available on the Injured.ie homepage.
Identifying details have been omitted. This account concerns one settled claim and is not a guide to the value or outcome of another case.
In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.
