TSSA member’s daughter receives compensation for playground accident
Emma was five when she broke her leg falling in a local playground. She had been on a rope ladder on the climbing frame when the rope broke and she fell to the ground.
Her parents, Claire and Andrew were watching her while her baby brother slept in his pushchair.
“I saw her fall,” says Andrew, a member of TSSA. “It’s one of those things that will haunt me for the rest of my days, seeing your child fall and land in incredible pain. I ran to her and when I saw her leg I called 999 immediately. It felt like they were there almost instantly.”
Emma needed sedatives as well as strong pain relief and the ambulance crew took her to the local children’s hospital where she was treated for a broken thigh bone and mild concussion. Another parent who witnessed the fall took a picture of the spot where Emma had fallen and the rope had broken, causing her to fall.
“At work the next day I was telling a colleague about it and he recommended I call Morrish Solicitors, who act for TSSA members. I didn’t want anyone else’s child to be hurt the same way, so I called.”
Andrew spoke with the solicitor John and passed him a copy of the picture the other parent had taken of the play equipment.
“Those pictures were really useful because they showed the rope when it was freshly broken. By the time I spoke with John, the local authority had already fixed the rope. John was able to use the photo and then they could not deny responsibility.”
The authority’s insurers offered Claire and Andrew £1000 for her injury, which John advised them to turn down.
“Children heal more quickly than adults, but Emma needed some physiotherapy for her injury. The NHS physiotherapist was fully booked and if we wanted to get Emma the help at the time it was going to be most critical for her recovery, we had no choice but to go private.”
Using evidence from the physiotherapist and independent medical experts, John negotiated for a higher offer, which took into account Emma’s need for rehabilitation. Eventually the insurers offered £4000 which was accepted.
“Thanks to TSSA and John at Morrish Solicitors I was able to get my daughter the medical treatment she really needed. It’s now one year after the accident and thankfully her bone has healed and the leg is growing normally, along with the rest of her!”
*Based on a real life case. Certain details have been altered to protect the identity of the victim.
