A 63 year old welder from Sheffield has been granted over £37,000 in an out of court settlement after a fall at work left him with such severe back damage that he was unable to continue with his job.

Kevin Hartley, who worked as a track welder for a Network Rail Infrastructure depot for 34 years, was lifting a heavy piece of equipment when the accident occurred. The fall which he suffered as a result of his lifting caused him to slip a disc and damaged his sciatic nerve.

After a few months off work, Mr Hartley returned to his job, performing only light duties, but found that even with the reduction in workload, he was still in extreme pain. Unable to continue in his job any longer, Mr Hartley had little choice but to take early retirement.

Explaining just how bad his condition is Mr Hartley said, “I worked in that job for over 30 years but I will never be able to return to it. On some days I find just sitting still difficult so I can’t even do a desk job”.

Mr Hartley intends to use the money to pay for the private healthcare he received to treat his back, after he decided his pain was too great to wait on an NHS waiting list.

He described the decision to award to him compensation “a great relief”.