Injuries at gym due to unqualified instructor

Our specialist personal injury lawyers based at Thomson Snell & Passmore’s Tunbridge Wells and Dartford (Thames Gateway) Offices, has secured £11,000 for a woman who suffered injuries to her wrists and psychological damage following a Boxercise class at the gym which was run by an unqualified instructor.

This personal injury claim involved a woman who had attended a gym to undergo an induction course with one of the gym instructors. Because of staff absences, the instructor had to take a ‘Boxercise’ class to cover the missing instructor’s slot. He invited the claimant to join in and so her induction was cut short and she attended the Boxercise class instead.

The claimant was firstly provided with pads to hold for others to punch. She then changed roles to punching against the pads. She was not provided with any gloves or instruction on how to punch but was encouraged, along with other attendees, to punch harder. She felt a sudden sharp pain and intense heat in her left hand and arm. She also felt nauseous and dizzy and left the class.

She was taken to the A&E department at the Kent & Sussex hospital by one of her friends. She had sustained a soft tissue injury to both her left and right wrists which has caused exacerbation of pre-existing osteoarthritis in the carpometacarpal joint at the base of the right thumb. She also sustained a soft tissue injury to her neck.

In addition to her orthopaedic injuries the claimant also sustained psychological damage and suffered an exacerbation of her pre-existing depressive symptoms.

The pain in her wrists had a very significant impact on the claimant’s life. She found it painful to undertake many everyday tasks such as driving and was unable to do her hobbies which she had previously enjoyed before the accident. She had a young daughter and the injuries also had a severe effect on her ability to care for her.

After negotiations took place an out-of-court settlement was agreed in the sum of £11,000 plus legal costs.