Victor Chircop and Henry Carus + Associates

The Story about this WorkCover Claim

Victor was a career butcher who loved his work. He had spent decades in the industry and eventually was promoted to being a Meat Manager at a busy supermarket. The department he was managing was very successful and so the amount of meat being delivered increased steadily over time. Unfortunately, Victor’s work space was not expanded to match the growing amount of stock which meant that he often had to work in cramped, tight spaces and manoeuvre bulky items at various heights including above his shoulders. Over time, this continuous strain led to Victor injuring his dominant right shoulder to the point where he finally had to put in a WorkCover claim, stop working and get surgery. After some time away, he got a job with a new employer doing the same work but the injury flared back up almost immediately and he went off work again. Victor hasn’t been able to continue his work as a butcher, now doing picker-packer work less than half the hours he was working previously.

Victor originally signed up with one of the bigger law firms in town. After they had been working on his matter for a while he wasn’t overly impressed and started considering other options. He contacted our firm and our Henry Carus travelled to meet him personally. We moved quickly to get his matter back on track and progressing forward and were with him through dealings with conciliation and the Medical Panel. Victor’s serious injury application was rejected and we had to issue proceedings in court, however, following intelligent conversations with the other side and a very strong presentation of evidence on Victor’s behalf, we were able to settle his overall claim well before trial.

After injuring my shoulder at work I had to have surgery after rehab I went back to work full time, after a short time back at work I reinjured my shoulder and was told by my surgeon I could not do my job as a butcher as it is to physical and my shoulder can not handle it; as you can imagine I was devastated as it was the only work I have ever done since I did my apprenticeship 1973. I went to see one of the big law firms but I was not getting anywhere with them. I was getting the run around and could never get in touch with them when I needed Questions asked and answered regarding my claim. I decided to get another lawyer and Henry caught my eye it seemed like a family law firm. I met Henry at the Altona office and liked him straight away we had a good chat and he said leave it with me. Michael Constable was very helpfully always got in touch with me when I needed someone to talk to regarding my claim. I am very happy with the settlement we got without going to court.  It will never replace my shoulder but it is a great help. Henry Carus and Associates got me a great settlement and want to thank Henry, Michael and all the team for all their help. I cannot recommended Henry Carus and Associates highly enough. I am so glad that I changed to Henry when I did. Thanks again to Henry, Michael and all the team. Thank you. Victor

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