Labour peer who smashed his teeth on the pavement after tripping on a plank of wood outside house that was being renovated wins £22,500 compensation
- Baron Richard Rosser, 78, fell over a plank outside the house in September 2017
- He sustained injuries to his face, knees, wrist and hands and lost two teeth
A Labour peer who tripped on a plank of wood and smashed his teeth while walking home from the House of Lords has won £22,500 in compensation.
Baron Richard Rosser, 78, fell over outside a building site in west London on the night of September 11, 2017 after leaving parliament and suffered injuries to his face, knees, wrist and hands.
Baron Rosser tripped on the plank of wood which was left outside the house of vape shop chain owner Mohammed Harris Tanvir in Ickenham.
He returned the next day to photograph the scene and find two of his teeth, which were still lying on the blood-stained pavement.
Last week the former trade union leader sued Mr Tanvir, as well as builder Harichandra Patel, for a compensation payout at Central London County Court.
Baron Richard Rosser, 78, fell over outside a building site after tripping over a wooden plank
Baron Richard Rosser sued after sustaining injuries and losing teeth outside the house in Ickenham
Both men accepted Baron Rosser was due a payout but blamed each other.
The judge, Recorder Robert Glancy KC, ordered Mr Patel to pick up the bill.
‘He was simply walking by the house and tripped because of a plank which was a nuisance and a danger to him,’ said the judge in his ruling.
‘The wrongdoer was Mr Patel. He, or one of those working for him, had created this nuisance.’
Baron Rosser is a former Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) trade union leader and Labour politician.
He who was made a life peer on his retirement by Tony Blair in 2004 as Baron Rosser, of Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
He is currently the Shadow Spokesperson for Transport and Home Affairs for Labour in the House of Lords.
Giving his judgment in the case, Recorder Glancy said Baron Rosser was on his way home from the House of Lords at 9.15pm on the day he was injured.
He got off the Tube at Hillingdon and walked along the road, carrying his briefcase and a bag of papers.
‘As he was walking, his foot suddenly struck a plank of wood,’ said the judge.
‘Because he was holding his briefcase in one hand and the bag in the other, he was unable to prevent himself falling forwards over the board and falling flat on his face.
‘He suffered various injuries to his face, his knees, his wrist and his hands.
‘It was dark at the time and Lord Rosser was clearly entirely blameless for this accident.’
The following morning, he retraced his steps early in order to take photographs of the scene of his fall.
‘The plank was still in the same position and he could even see where he had tripped and he found two of his teeth on the pavement,’ said the judge.
‘There was no one around at the time, because the workers on the house had not yet commenced their daily work.’
Baron Rosser subsequently sued both Mr Tanvir, a ‘sophisticated and successful’ businessman who runs a chain of vape shops, and Mr Patel.
Mr Patel is a ‘skilled builder’ who had known Mr Tanvir for several years and, at the time, was doing work renovating the property to become Mr Tanvir’s family home.
Both men accepted that Baron Rosser was due a compensation payout, but each claimed that the other bore blame in law for what happened to him.
But at the end of a three-day trial this week, Recorder Glancy found that it was builder Mr Patel who was at fault.
It had been Mr Patel or his workers who had left the plank in a dangerous position, said the judge.
He ordered him to pay Baron Rosser £22,500 in compensation.
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