A riverboat pilot feared he would die when a 200kg part from a ladder landed on him.
Iain Baird, a self-employed riverboat pilot from Wirral, tried to climb a rope ladder onto a boat in Liverpool Bay in August 2018 but when it snapped it caused him to fall and part of the ladder, weighing more than 200kg, landing on him. As a result of the fall and the piece of the ladder falling on him, he suffered severe back pain and a head injury.
The 55-year-old was unable to work for a month and - four years on - he is still suffering from back issues. The incident also had a massive impact on his confidence, with Mr Baird apprehensive about using ladders in his job.
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He said: “The accident has had a debilitating effect on my life, physically and mentally. I now suffer from anxiety at times, which is predominantly triggered when I’m having to board or disembark ships with ladders similar to the one that failed, resulting in my injury.
“I don’t want to think about what might have happened if it had broken slightly later. If I was a few steps higher I would have fallen back into the water, with the tangled ladder landing on top of me. It could have been fatal.”
Neil Richards, a senior lawyer at Thompsons Solicitors said: “The container vessel was a Liberian registered ship managed by an Italian-owned company, whose offices were in Switzerland. And then we had to factor in the port authority.
“At Thompsons, we have extensive experience of personal injury shipping claims, including piloting issues, seafaring accidents, and accidents on offshore installations, but whenever there are multiple groups who could be at fault, they typically all pass the buck hoping someone else takes responsibility – and people like Iain are left in legal limbo."
Mr Baird is still uncertain as to how this will affect his career, but the compensation has ensured he will not be at a loss if he is forced to retire from work because of the injuries.
He added: “Thompsons has been excellent with the handling of my case. My solicitor seemed to never stop recruiting more and more expert witnesses with maritime systems knowledge to support my claim, despite all the challenges posed by the defendants and the pandemic.
“This hard work proved vital in securing a successful compensation settlement in a case that felt at times like it was David vs Goliath.”
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