Major accident at work, settle or sue? Opinions/advice pls
Discussion
Someone very close to me recently had a serious accident at work in his office, (something fell on him) as a result he doesn't know if he's going to be able to fully use his leg again and/or drive etc. it only happened two weeks ago. He is management level at a very large corporate co.
He was v.concerned about making his working life difficult if he got solicitors involved and isnt the type of person who wants to "rinse them for all they're worth" however after chatting to a solicitor he has decided to instruct them. As soon as the employer found out about this they immediately told him not to get solicitors involved and said they'll look after him and it will be the same agreement. They are now coming over to his house to talk with him tomorrow. (Is that not a bit heavy handed?!)
He believes that the company have his best interests at heart and says he trusts them. I'm concerned that if he settles like this he might get taken for a ride. And how is he to know if he's being given a fair deal with the settlement sum? But I can understand that he doesn't want to create tension etc at work in the future.
I've never been in this kind of situation and don't know what to advise. What are the downsides of settling? Anyone got any experience with this kind of thing? TIA
He was v.concerned about making his working life difficult if he got solicitors involved and isnt the type of person who wants to "rinse them for all they're worth" however after chatting to a solicitor he has decided to instruct them. As soon as the employer found out about this they immediately told him not to get solicitors involved and said they'll look after him and it will be the same agreement. They are now coming over to his house to talk with him tomorrow. (Is that not a bit heavy handed?!)
He believes that the company have his best interests at heart and says he trusts them. I'm concerned that if he settles like this he might get taken for a ride. And how is he to know if he's being given a fair deal with the settlement sum? But I can understand that he doesn't want to create tension etc at work in the future.
I've never been in this kind of situation and don't know what to advise. What are the downsides of settling? Anyone got any experience with this kind of thing? TIA
Thanks for all the advice and opinions folks. Apparently it wouldn't be going through insurers because the company self-insure. They have their own claim department that are the ones handling the situation with him.
Sy- The thing that fell on him was glass. It was part of the office so no personal blame.
Sy- The thing that fell on him was glass. It was part of the office so no personal blame.
Soov they're a huge international co, this won't be a big amount of money to them.
They've said they use industry standard formulae for calculating compensation amounts and will use his own medical consultant to conduct the analysis. I don't know whether if he goes through the company can he get a solicitor involved at the end of the process to ensure he's getting a fair deal? Or does it not work like that?
He can't work atm as he can't walk (he's being paid though), and he can't do his job effectively from home. As long as he can drive after this then yes there's no reason why he can't go back to work which he's keen to do. He is a regular gym goer and very active so it remains to be seen if that is affected.
They've said they use industry standard formulae for calculating compensation amounts and will use his own medical consultant to conduct the analysis. I don't know whether if he goes through the company can he get a solicitor involved at the end of the process to ensure he's getting a fair deal? Or does it not work like that?
He can't work atm as he can't walk (he's being paid though), and he can't do his job effectively from home. As long as he can drive after this then yes there's no reason why he can't go back to work which he's keen to do. He is a regular gym goer and very active so it remains to be seen if that is affected.
Nezquick said:
I wonder if there's a update on this.
Yep, he's told his solicitor to stand down and is dealing with the claims manager at his company directly. I agree with everyone's comments on here, and am very disappointed that he didn't see it the same way, but it's not me in the situation so it's not my decision to make. I sent him a link to this thread so he knows what the public consensus is. You can take a horse a water...
He's got a cast on for another month so won't know how he's doing physically for a while yet.
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