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Compensation for prison chef bitten by a dog at work

Grayson’s personal injury solicitors specialising in accidents and injuries caused by animals, have won £2,500 compensation for prison chef, Matthew Plunkett, after he was bitten by a dog at work in Weyland HM Prison Thetford, Norfolk.

Last updated on November 30th, 2021 at 12:23 pm

dog bite puncture wound to leg

Not actual client image. For demonstration purposes only

Prison guard dogs run free around grounds

Matthew, who had worked at the prison for 2 years at the time of the accident, was left with puncture wounds to his leg when he was bitten by one of the prison’s guard dogs.

On the day of the attack, Matthew took a route around the outskirts of the prison, one that he and other staff members had previously used. The two guard dogs at this location, a springer spaniel and a Labrador, were roaming free. The springer spaniel ran towards Matthew and started to attack him viciously, forcing him to the ground. Suffering from shock, as well as the physical injury, Matthew was taken to Norwich Hospitals, where he received a tetanus shot and a course of antibiotics.

Too little too late

“There was no compound for the dogs”, says Matthew “they just stayed in a kennel. The dog handler was sweeping out the kennel when the attack happened and the dogs were not tethered in any way.”

There were no signs in place warning staff that dogs were roaming free.

After Matthew’s accident, it is understood that a compound is now being built and the area has been declared “sterile” which means that anyone wanting to enter it has to get permission first.

Our specialists say:

“This is definitely a case of too little too late. Matthew should not have been put in such a dangerous position. Reasonable care was not taken to ensure that his place of work was safe. If someone has an accident in any place of work (it doesn’t necessarily have to be the person’s own workplace) the employer has a duty to keep them safe in the same way it needs to keep its own employees safe. We sued the prison for breach of statutory duty and negligence.”

Not an easy case to settle

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) argued that Matthew had taken the risk himself by walking through the area where the dogs were exercised, and held that the case was not worth anything.

Despite the fact that three barristers rejected it, we were confident that he had a strong case and took the case to court. In the end, the MOJ decided to settle the matter and agreed to pay compensation of £5,000, based on 50/50 liability, so Matthew received £2,500.

Professionalism of the highest standards

Matthew was delighted with the outcome of the case saying:

“ A big thank you to you all. I wanted to say how impressed I have been in how you have fought my case over the last three years, and without a shadow of doubt, your professionalism in the case and how you have dealt with my incident has been very impressive and of the highest standards.”

If you have been injured in an incident involving an animal, or have been injured in a workplace, and would like to know if you can claim compensation, please contact our personal injury experts now.

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