£484,000 compensation for an injured thumb for RAF TYPIST..?

Question

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=471700&in_page_id=1770
WORDS FAIL ME - SO... QUOTE "An RAF typist who injured her thumb at work is to be paid almost half a million pounds by the Ministry of Defence. The civilian's award is almost 30 times the amount a serviceman would receive for the same injury.....The woman, believed to be in her 20s, developed a repetitive strain injury while typing computer data. ....Critics claimed it was an insult to the 2,626 British servicemen who have been injured fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Defence analyst Major Charles Heyman said: "An award like this to a civilian who is never going to be in fear of her life drags down morale. "It shows where the MoD's priorities lie and those don't appear to be with the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The soldiers will be shocked and astounded as they all know people with severe injuries who got nothing like that
UNQUOTE..

WHAT DO YOU THINK...? Fair?

On a personal note re "compensations" I was awarded £12k years ago for an injured KNEE, yet, £8k when an Army MO misdiagnosed me and I came within 2 weeks of losing my life.. GO FIGURE?.. and I had a young family at the time.. There is something VERY wrong with the compensation system... maybe someone can come up with a better formula...?

Your thoughts on this related question I asked please ...
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Am1QfaFHmGTUvTmNe3lRTRIgBgx.?qid=20070731100129AAcTRge

Answer 1

Something really should be done about this ridiculous compensation culture. As for repetitive strain injury, load of rubbish. I have been a typist for over 40 years. I used to have my own word processing bureau and was typing for many years up to 10 hours at once, typing up film and tv manuscripts, books etc. I sit in a proper typists chair where I can change height and back, my computers are at the right level, the desk on which they sit, and therefore the keyboards are also adjusted for right height and I've never had any problems. If people were sensible and sat correctly and positioned their machines at the right angle, then they wouldnt get this so called repetitive strain injury. But as you say, the amount this young woman was awarded was ludicrous and a complete insult to our servicemen and any other people who have lost limbs in accidents etc. etc. I bet she either spends the lot instead of being sensible, I bet she doesn't put it away for a rainy day and I further bet she'll find another job and be using a keyboard. Hope they find her out and take up court proceedings to get back the money they shouldnt have paid her in the first place - unless of course, she does the decent thing and gives it away to people more deserving than her.

Answer 2

sorry I can't go to the links. I'm in the US and I understand your thoughts. When a woman has an injury, first of all she's considered the weaker sex, and second, there is a kind of schedule they work by as to what her career was and how long the injury will last her in years of her working life and/or home life. The longer it extends the more money she's awarded. For a man it's different because men can do a lot more jobs than a female can (in most situations) and can earn an income doing most anything while it's not the case for a female and they try to keep her out of prostitution. But while she may not receive income again (may have to depend on low benefits for the rest of her life which is tough), servicemen get breaks like free education, they can re-up, they can continue train in the military like on weekends and earn money, they have money put toward buying a house, and when they get out of the service they can also find work (even for their disability) within the government and still move up the ranks, while that is not so for a woman in most cases and it depends too on her education and how intelligent she is, and on the lift she had before the attident, etc. So I find that a person can't compare one case to the other.

If the service men didn't get what help they needed then that's a separate complaint to the authorities.

Carpal tunnel disease as you spoke about (as we call it) is debilitating so much so that people in time can't even dress themselves, and it lasts their entire life. What I can say is that it's just like cigarette smoking in that people know the consequences, they know what's happening to them as it's happening yet they don't stop, don't change anything and they let it happen knowing they can sue and may not have to work for the rest of their lives. Some bring it on themselves, some want to go thru life being a whiner. It's in the make-up of the person.

Answer 3

Its this compensation culture that in part makes life in Britain so frustrating,you cant chastise your children in case they sue you use the no win no fee brigade of parasitic solicitors making fortunes out of it,
all jobs carry some sort of risk but it should be accepted as being what it is part of the job, sure if someone is hurt in a real accident they should be looked after but there are limits, this typist should hold her head in shame then donate all this money to the real victims, the service men and woman and there dependents that were killed or injured serving there country not filing the nails

Answer 4

I still don't understand this one... I know that sometimes judges let the juries decide on such vast sums, knowing that they will be clawed back on appeal. But the article doesn't suggest this at all, just the MOD agreed to pay.. As well as the injusry and trauma loss of anticipated earnings are the only criteira that come into this... are they seriously saying her thumb injury precludes her from taking any equivalent role whatsover... that's sexist rubbish. Women can adapt! This is surely an evil, misogynist settlement by male judges who say that if a woman can no longer type, she is good for nothing at all...

Answer 5

I am sure some medical expert will put me right but I believe 'repetitive strain injury' is rather like a 'bad back' very difficult to diagnose !. No doubt all the M of D typing pool are buying rubber hammers. As other correspondents have said it helps to show the value this rotten government put on our service peoples lives by comparison.

Answer 6

I agree with you words fail me as well many years ago I was medically discharged from the R A F and didn't receive a penny I have made several appeals each time bring forward new medical evidence and each time they take about 5 Min's to make up there mind that it was not caused by my service and last time they bought forward so called medical evidence about my childhood which was totally unrelated and I didn't know even existed

Answer 7

With Parliament full of Barristers and Solicitors, they are not going to spoil there friends livelihoods are they. It seems immoral the amounts of compensation being paid out by the courts, but the deserving never seem to get anything. You will find they get on with it and not bother anyone till its to late. Wonder what the legal cost where?

Answer 8

It is outrageous, scandalous, and a huge insult to the servicemen who are so badly treated when they are wounded on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, even worse for those poor widows and children who have lost their husbands or fathers in these illegal wars.

Answer 9

I read your link and words fail me too its only her thumb for heavens sake ,and then theres the poor bloke in the link.who got wounded in Bosnia 13 operations his leg amputated and he gets nothing . Typical of the attitude in this country

Answer 10

It's all part of this mad world we live in. Driven by money and greed. We need common sense leaders and better laws.
But short of a revolution we remain and have to accept this unfair and idiotic world.