He lost his WHAT in a workplace accident?
May 13, 2010 by Fred HosierPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Injuries, Latest News & Views, Lawsuits
PDF At Safety News Alert, we comb the Internet daily to find news stories of interest to safety pros. So, you can’t blame us for wanting to find out what this story was about after reading the headline:
‘Manhood’ lost in workplace accident.
It’s not what you might think.
The Brisbane Times in Australia used that headline on a story about 31-year-old Regan Fynn.
He’s suing his former employer, CSR Ltd., in connection with an injury he suffered involving a forklift.
Fynn was trying to exit the forklift but fell due to a missing foot step on the machine.
His full body weight landed on his right arm.
His lawyers say, while Fynn was once a strong, fit man, he now suffers from constant pain and weakness in his right arm and hand.
Two surgeries haven’t helped, and Fynn has become “introverted, morose and depressed.”
In fact, his claim against CSR says, “He feels as though he is unable to provide for his family and feels as if he has lost his manhood.”
OK, now we get it.
Fynn says he’s unable to teach his children to play sports, he suffers from emotional problems, and his marriage and sex life have suffered.
He seeks $503,000 from CSR, saying the company was negligent because it didn’t maintain the forklift properly.
You know how, despite the fact that both countries speak English, certain words don’t translate exactly the same between the U.S. and Australia? This story makes us wonder.
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Tags: Australia, forklift, missing step
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May 13th, 2010 at 7:07 am
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May 13th, 2010 at 9:52 am
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May 14th, 2010 at 8:38 am
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May 18th, 2010 at 10:33 am
While handling work comp claims for the past 30+ years, I have noticed a number of cases where men feel emasculated by permanent disabilities, especially from shoulder and back injuries. They have to rely on their wives to do the “man work” such as mowing the lawn, lifting items, digging in the garden, etc. They can no longer participate in sports with their kids, can’t lift a grandchild, etc. One man’s wife left him because he could do little more than rest after getting home from work. The response to the life changes described in this article are NOT uncommon. It is a serious lesson that should be discussed in safety meetings where the consequences of accidents is the topic.
May 19th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I’m Australian and I can attest to the “manhood” issue of this aussie. Aussie guys have this puffed up sense of masculinity, which actually translates to “let’s have a beer and let the old lady do the work”. I have a relative who was in this exact situation and while he was injured in public, he was more active in private. Good thing I live in the states now or else I would have turned him in.