Our client, a member of the RMT, was awarded £8,500 after being injured by a dirty needle and having to wait three months for the results of blood tests for HIV.
The 34-year-old man, who was a fitter for First Great Western, was stuck by a needle in his knee while attempting to fix lights on a train carriage at Paddington Station.
He got down on the floor to access an electrical panel on the carriage and knelt on the needle. He had to wait three months for the results of blood tests for HIV and Hepatitis.
He has been cleared of any blood-borne diseases, but during the long wait he had to put plans to try for another child on hold. He also had to give up his coaching role for a premiership rugby team.
He received counselling, but was so affected that he was off work for six months.
He said: “Discovering I had been stuck by a needle was extremely distressing. I kept wondering where the needle had come from and what diseases it might be carrying.
“It got to the point where I had an aversion to needles and I had difficulty sleeping. Beyond the psychological impact, I also had to give up my coaching position due to the risk of contamination and my wife and I had to put plans to try for another child on hold.”