Gardner Leader

Gardner Leader secures substantial damages for client

Newbury-based solicitors Gardner Leader have recently succeeded in securing damages for a former-slaughterman who was seriously injured at work, after a difficult legal battle.

Michael Hutchings was left without the use of two of his fingers and serious injury to his arm after the incident. The ageing equipment he was forced to use led to an animal kicking him in the neck and shoulder resulting in several operations, hospital visits and much discomfort. Michael was unable to work for a significant time, at which point he decided to make a Personal Injury claim against his former employer.

The incident took place in 2002. Mr Hutchings instructed solicitors who in turn sought a barristers opinion.  Mr Hutchings was told that the chances of winning were very small. Many solicitors were unwilling to take the case on because the period following the accident in which a claim can normally be made had expired. However, after being referred to Alastair Goggins by a friend, Michael met with the Litigation Partner at Gardner Leader, who agreed to fight his case.

Alastair’s first action was to successfully defend the Defendant's application to strike out Mr Hutchings' case because it had not been brought within the statutory 3 year period.

Following this, he put in many hours of hard work researching and learning about the nuances of the slaughterhouse process to ensure that he gained the right result for his client. After many interviews with experts, specialists and Michael, Alastair finally gained a positive outcome when Mr Hutchings was awarded substantial damages by his former bosses for the injuries he received whilst in their employment.

Commenting on the case, Michael Hutchings said: “Alastair is a very, very genuine person. He listened to what I had to say and worked very hard for me. There was such a lot of information to gather and so many avenues to explore, but Alastair did all of this work to make sure that I got the result we have today.”

Alastair Goggins added: “This was a very unusual case that other solicitors had refused to handle. However, it was clear to me from the beginning that we could get a result. I’m grateful to Michael for putting his trust in me to fight this case and pleased that we have now managed to get him the compensation he deserves.”

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