Man sues his company for severe head injury at work function after drinking too much
Talk about shifting the blame...
When you think work function, you rarely think about a lawsuit...
That's probably because the aftermath of a work event that involves the consumption of alcohol has rarely dawned on you.
Well, it sure dawned on this guy and the effects were, let's just say, way worse than a hangover and some embarrassing moments captured on video.
After attending a work social in April 2019, Mike Brokie from Reading, United Kingdom, fell and hit his head.
He did not have any recollection as to how he fell when he woke up four weeks later.
It was assumed that he fell over (after one too many drinks) and did not use his hands to break his fall. Besides being placed in an induced coma, half of his skull had to be removed and he still suffers from 'persistent cognitive symptoms'.
"Brokie is suing his firm for £200,000 (R4-million), claiming it was 'clearly foreseeable' that someone might get seriously injured at the pub golf event, which involved visiting nine venues, with points awarded for how quickly drinks were downed, according to court papers seen by the Financial Times." (LadBible)
Brokie's lawsuit claims that the company is indirectly responsible for the actions of the manager, Simon Fradgley. He is said to have placed pressure on workers to attend the function and did not put any safety measures into place.
"Brokie's lawsuit alleges that the rules for the event 'not only encourage but make a competitive virtue of excessive, rapid and prolonged consumption of alcohol over many hours from about 6pm'." (LadBible)
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The annual event has been stopped. It was meant to help employees relax and wind down, since they did well in their busy period.
But as any safety officer will tell you, safety first!
Brokie still works for the company on a part-time basis and the suit is still in action.
Image Courtesy of Pexels