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22nd May 2009

Injured dad couldn't hold his baby

Hand crushed in machine

A young dad was left unable to hold his new baby son when his hand was crushed during a workplace accident.

Adam Cross, 21, from Port Talbot, South Wales, suffered horrific injuries to his left hand after it was crushed in a paper machine.

Adam’s son was just seven months old when the accident happened in October 2007 at Intertissue Limited in Neath.

The firm makes toilet tissue and other sanitary products and Adam had worked for them for just seven months when he was asked to help a colleague fix a paper jam on a machine.

No training before using machine

Adam was not trained on the machine but was told to pull the paper while his colleague activated the rollers. His hand was crushed between them.

He had to have surgery to fix a fractured index finger and to mend lacerations to his other fingers. He may have to undergo more surgery and has been left with extensive scarring of the whole hand.

Adam had to take 12 months off work to recover from the accident and said he was unable to bond with his new son because he couldn’t hold him, bathe him or change his nappy.

He said: “The timing of this accident couldn’t have been any worse. I had taken on this new job to help provide for my young family but I ended up being so injured that I couldn’t even hold my son. I had to undergo several months of intensive physiotherapy and in total had eight months off work before I could return to Intertissue in a different job.

“I still suffer from pain in my hand, particularly in cold weather which leaves me unable to do simple things like doing up my buttons.”

Employees should be adequately trained on the machines they are working on

Adam contacted Thompsons Solicitors, which has offices in Swansea, to pursue a claim for compensation. Intertissue Ltd was found to be at fault by the court and settled the claim out of court for £16,000.

Eamonn McDonough from Thompsons Solicitors said: “Mr Cross suffered a particularly nasty accident which has long term consequences for the use of his left hand. He was also incapacitated at a time when he should have been enjoying a new addition to his family.

“We hope by highlighting his accident that Intertissue Ltd will ensure that its employees are adequately trained on the machines they are working on and thus avoid this type of accident happening in the future.”

Compensation Claim Advice

If you or someone you know has been injured by a dangerous machine in the workplace, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.

There are strict time limits in place to make any accident compensation claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.

Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.