Supreme Court INJURY TO FINGER

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29913, 29 August 1962, Page 9

Supreme Court INJURY TO FINGER

£3&4 Damages Claimed A claim for £3OO general and £B4 special damages was brought by Peter Leonard Armstrong, aged 32, a wool presser, against his employers, Thomas Borthwick and Sons. Australasia. Ltd., in an action begun before Mr Justice Macarthur and a jury of four in the Supreme Court yesterday. Armstrong injured his right forefinger in a woolpress at the Belfast works of the defendant company on January 28. 1960. The company admits liability for the accident, and the sole issue the jury is to decide is the amount of general damages, if any, to be awarded to him. Mr, H. W. Thompson appears* for the plaintiff and Mr C. B. Atkinson for the defendant company. The hearing, will end today. Mr Thompson said that Armstrong went to the Christchurch Hospital after the accident and his broken finger was set, but the setting was not successful, and, a week later the finger had to be broken again and reset. The finger now curved outward from the second finger. This slowed the plaintiffs work during the wool-press-ing season. He was on contract being paid so much a bale, and tne loss of half an hour a day meant a loss to him if he wished to go to another job. The defence case was that the plaintiff had suffered no disability which would affect his earnings, that he would suffer no future economic loss, and that although he had suffered pain at the time of the accident, he was in no pain now and had suffered no. or very little, loss of enjoyment of life, said Mr Atkinson in his opening address.