Personal injury news

Horrific work accident results in amputated hand

A woman was forced to undergo a hand amputation after she suffered horrific personal injuries in a work accident in Scotland.

58-year-old Moira McNicholas was operating a heavy vertical drill at an engineering plant in Paisley when her hand was dragged into the machinery. Against instructions, she was wearing gloves and the material became snagged on the rotating drill bit, leaving her unable to remove her hand.

Her solicitor said, "Her thumb and fingers were amputated and her wrist was broken.

"Due to the extent of the damage caused, she had to have her hand and wrist amputated from the mid forearm."

Appearing at Paisley Sheriff Court, Ms McNicholas' employer, Carlton Die Castings admitted breaching Health & Safety at Work procedures by failing to ensure that access to dangerous moving parts of the machine was prevented. They also recognised that they had failed to provide a necessary stop mechanism for the machine.

The court heard how the company had made a great effort to help their employee in the aftermath of the work accident, paying for disability aids to be installed in her home and ensuring insurance matters were taken care of.

Sheriff David Pender praised the firm for the way they treated Ms McNicholas after she suffered her personal injuries, but fined them a total of £5000.