TRUCKIE’S DROP IN SEX DRIVE

A GOLD coast truckie says he can’t give it full revs in the bedroom because of a back injury he sustained at work.

The 38-year-old driver is suing his former employer for almost $570,000 after allegedly hurting himself in May 2016 while throwing a 15kg chain over a full load of culverts on the back of his truck.

Court documents allege the driver has lost about 10 per cent of his abilities, including “difficulties in sexual activity”, “difficulties toileting” and “persistent lower back and left buttock pain”.

A TRUCK driver says his performance in bed has dropped about 10 per cent following a back injury at work.

Paul John Taprell is suing Southport company Todd Transport and Holcim Australia for nearly $570,000.

The 38-year-old claims he hurt himself when he threw a 15kg chain over a full load of culverts on the back of his truck on May 5, 2016.

Court documents lodged in the Southport District Court allege he suffered a disc prolapse in his lower back and a nerve root compression in the same area. The culverts, large concrete pipes placed under roads, were stacked about 3m above ground level, he claims.

The injury has meant Mr Taprell has lost about 10 per cent of his previous abilities, it is alleged.

Mr Taprell claims his disabilities include “difficulties in sexual activity”, “difficulties toileting” and “persistent lower back and left buttock pain”.

Other consequences of the injury include pain in his leg, problems sitting, standing and bending over and an inability to mow the lawn, it is alleged.

The injury has also left Mr Taprell out of work.

Court documents state he tried on at least three occasions to return to work, including after surgery in August 2016 to try and fix his back issues.

“(Mr Taprell) returned to work on November 16, 2016, albeit with significant ongoing pain and discomfort,” the documents say. “His pain was so severe that he ultimately resigned from this position as of June 7, 2017.”

A month later Mr Taprell had found work at another transport company, but that job was short-lived.

“Although the work at Goodall Transport was lighter, it still required (Mr Taprell) to climb in and out of heavy machinery and sit for long periods of time,” the documents claim.

Four months later, Mr Taprell finished with Goodall Transport.

The documents state Mr Taprell may never be able to work as a truck driver again unless a “sympathetic employer” could be found.

“It is expected that (Mr Taprell) will need to take a period off work to engage in retraining,”

IT IS EXPECTED THAT (MR TAPRELL) WILL NEED TO TAKE A PERIOD OFF WORK TO ENGAGE IN RETRAINING COURT DOCUMENTS

the documents say.

Mr Taprell claims the injury could have been avoided.

“Failing to provide (Mr Taprell) with a ladder and/or platform to enable him to climb to a higher point to secure the chains when (Todd Transport) knew or ought to have know that throwing the chains from ground level over the culverts on the truck, exposed (Mr Taprell) to a foreseeable risk of injury,” the documents said.

Mr Taprell also claims straps or ropes should have been used to tie the culverts down rather than the heavy chains.

Todd Transport and Holcim Australia are yet to lodge a defence to Mr Taprell’s claims.