Death of man thought to be due to work-related stress
- 27.02.2019
- EmmaArnold
- Personal-injury, Personal-injury
A doctor has died after struggling with his workload almost two years after he was involved in a cycling accident.
Alastair Watt, 45, returned to work after taking long-term sick leave when he suffered a head injury in April 2016 during a cycling weekend in Wales with his friends.
He was sadly found dead in a field after taking unprescribed drugs in December 2017.
The inquest into Alastair's death heard how his work-related stress became worse after the serious cycling accident which left him in intensive care.
Alastair was exempt from having to provide a seven-day service but his wife said how this made him feel 'deeply guilty' and was under the care of local mental health services.
Richard Edwards, who is a Senior Solicitor at Potter Rees Dolan and has experience of handling stress at work cases, said:
This is a very sad story and, of course, the outcome of the inquest is not yet known. The account given here, however, underlines the importance of helping employees who are recovering from accidents or other major life events to ease back into the work place and to make appropriate adjustments, if need be on a long term basis.
This requires a sympathetic and understanding approach from responsible employers, who must be aware of and respond to the sensitivities of hardworking employees who take pride in what they do. I have sadly come across instances in my own case load where this hasn’t happened, and the consequences can be devastating.
Richard Edwards is a senior personal injury solicitor with Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about work related stress injuries or any other personal injury issues and wish to speak to Richard or any other member of the team please contact us on 0161 237 5888 or email Richard through the contact form here.