Personal injury news

Surgeon awarded £40,000 compensation after
he slipped on custard

A surgeon has been awarded £40,000 after slipping on a puddle of custard while working in London.

John Conti, 36, suffered a serious personal injury when he slipped and damaged his knee at Paddington's St Mary's Hospital in 2000. Mr Conti ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee and blamed the resident catering company for leaving the custard spillage on the floor.

Mr Conti contacted personal injury solicitors, claiming his career had been stalled by the knee injury, which needed reconstructive surgery and left him in continual pain.

The case reached London's High Court where defence lawyers challenged the amount of compensation Mr Conti was claiming and questioned the cause of his personal injury after hearing of a knee injury sustained eight months prior to the accident at work.

Judge Brian Hegarty QC said that the accident had put the surgeon's career on hold for a year and awarded Mr Conti a total of £38,928 in personal injury compensation.

Mr Conti commented, "It has been a long path but now I hope I can get on with the rest of my life."