WRIST INJURY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25310, 9 October 1947, Page 3

WRIST INJURY

FREEZING WORKER’S CLAIM COMPENSATION COURT RESERVES DECISION Decision was reserved by Judge Onglev in the Compensation Court yesterday ofl a claim by an employee of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd., arising out of an accident at the company’s works at Islington. Walter Alun Lloyd, a wringerman (Mr B. A. Barter), claimed such a sum as the Court saw fit from the company, which was represented by Mr A. C. Perry. Claims by the plaintiff admitted by the defence were that Lloyd suffered an accident on July 10, 1946, arising out of his employment with the firm, when he was pulling hides from a wringing machine; that there was a pre-existing condition of osteo-arthritis in his wrist; that his average weekly , earnings were £7 Us 2d, and that by way of compensation he had received £225 in weekly payments to June 24, 1947. The defence denied claims that the injury aggravated or accelerated the osteoarthritis, and that as a result of the accident the plaintiff had been permanently incapacitated for the remainder of his working life. Giving evidence, Lloyd said that before the accident he had intended to go on working for another 10 years. He was 66 years old now.

Medical evidence for the plaintiff was given by Dr. W. H. Bremner and Mr L. A. Bennett. Dr. Bremner said that Lloyd would never be able to perform work which involved handling objects oi any weight with his right hand, or any work which involved bending the wrist through its full range. Lloyd had had an old injury, but if he had not had the accident he might have continued work for many years. Plaintiff was fit for the lightest of work only, said Mr Bennett. The company admitted its liability for compensation, said Mr Perry, opening the case for the defence. He submitted that

the question to be decided bv the Court was the amount of acceleration of the disease caused by the accident. He called Herbert Kebby, felimongery foreman at the works, as a witness. During the 1945 season, said Kebby, he had had a conversation with Lloyd, when it was agreed that Lloyd should continue work till the end of the 1946 season, when he would go on a pension. Witness offered him part-time work after his retirement. The accident thus happened two or three days before he finished fulltime employment. Plaintiff’s wrist was on the trigger-point of breaking down when he had the accident, said Dr. J. K. Davidsbn. He considered that six to, 12 months was a reasonable time for ‘the firm to pay him compensation. Dr. Rex Blunden said that any twist, whatever the cause, would probably have produced the injury.