Tradesmen working on house

[Old Salt]

A friend of mine tells me a tradesman, was working on his roof and gutters, when he fell off the ladder. The tradesman received a serious leg and foot injury.

My friend tells me, which I am finding hard to believe, the tradesman is suing him regarding the accident.

I thought if you were in business, no matter where you were working, it was up the the tradesman to arrange his own insurance cover for all accidents.

On reflection, I wonder if this could simply be someone trying to squeeze some money out of a homeowner's house insurance?

Old Salt

[bednobs]

What were the circumstances?
if, for example your friends went and wobbled the ladder till he fell off, then i could see
what is the friend actually being sued for?

[factor-fiction]

What caused him to fall? Was it a faulty ladder supplied by your friend? Did the wall give way causing the ladder to fall?
There has to have been negligence for the tradesman to sue successfully.

[Old Salt]

Exactly so, bednobs and factor30

The man supplied all tools and my friend was next door when the guy fell off his ladder.

That's what I find impossible to understand ---- what is the tradesman suing for? Even it my friend was in the house, the tradesman is doing the work he quoted for, and was being left to his own devices

Surely, he must be trying to scare something out of someone. It's my opinion he would be laughted out of court, if it got that far

I do know that my friend feels very threatened by all this posturing.

Old Salt

[cassa333]

Ask to see the tradesmans public and employer liability insurance.

[bednobs]

just spoke to my hubbie who works as a health and saftey consultant in the construction industry. It's a load of old boswellox. If the job wasn't safe to be done with a ladder then the tradesman should have for example provided scaffolding, or a prperly footed and tied ladder. If the workman just fell off how can he possibly sue the homeowner?

[Old Salt]

That's what I told me friend bednobs

All the years I was a Computer Field Service Engineer and several years an Installations Manager, I never heard such a thing.

But, some people seem to be easily intimidated, which is perhaps this clod's game

Thanks for the response
Old Salt

[brenda]

Tell your friend not to worry and not be intimidated.This is a try on .tell him to get st*ffed and to go ahead and sue. .