Widow seeks High Court’s approval of £625k payout

HER HUSBAND SUFFERED WORKPLACE BRAIN INJURY

THE widow of a man who suffered major brain damage in an accident at work is seeking approval from the High Court for a £625,000 compensation settlement.

Father-of-two Simon Blockley died, aged 44, on April 3 last year, a little over a year after the accident, which happened as he unloaded a stack of garage doors from a pallet while working for his employer, Loughborough housebuilder William Davis Ltd, on March 15, 2019.

According to papers issued in the High Court which have only now been made publicly available, Mr Blockley was carrying out the task with a colleague in bad weather.

He was injured when a gust of wind caught the pair and the doors knocked him over.

The papers say he hit his head on the floor, causing “serious, lifechanging” injuries to his brain.

Now Mrs Blockley is asking the High Court to approve a compensation settlement worth £625,000 which has been agreed with the company.

The settlement includes £46,297.98 for the couple’s two young boys.

The court’s approval is needed for their share of the compensation as they are minors, under the age of 18.

The papers reveal that liability has been agreed between the two sides on a 75 per cent – 25 per cent basis in favour of the Blockley family, of Thorpe Astley.

They claim the accident happened because of the company’s negligence.

Mr Blockley was treated at the University Hospital of Coventry and at the brain injury unit of Leicester General Hospital, before moving to the Leonard Cheshire Disability Home in Sileby, near Loughborough. He died at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

There was no official inquest held into his death.