Walkers gives man GBP3,500 payout
24 Jan 2012
A man from Rochdale has been awarded GBP3,500 after choking on a
piece of rubber left inside a packet of crisps.
Peter Collins took legal action against Walkers and believes that
if it was not for the quick thinking of his son he would have died
in the incident, the Manchester Evening News reported.
He choked on the mould, which was the same size, colour and shape
as a crisp, while eating a packet of barbecue rib flavoured crisps
from a multi-pack.
When he started choking, his son squeezed his chest and hit him
firmly twice between the shoulders, dislodging the rubber
cast.
"It was a horrible feeling, the taste in my mouth was awful. I
literally couldn't breathe and I don't mind admitting I started to
panic," he told the news source.
"Thank goodness Joshua was there, otherwise I'm convinced I would
have died."
Walkers made the payout four years after the initial incident in
2008 after both parties agreed on a settlement.
Mr Collins' lawyer said that the firm had admitted liability,
adding that the presence of the rubber mould showed
negligence
on its part.
Following the choking incident, Mr Collins was told by his GP that
chemicals from the rubber had been absorbed into his system and he
faced a series of hospital tests.
He also suffered from nausea and loss of appetite, for which he was
prescribed medication.
"It took about three months for me to feel something like my old
self," Mr Collins said.
The NHS was forced to pay compensation in November after staff
neglected to remove a breathing tube from the windpipe of a
newborn
baby, causing it to nearly choke to death.
Anyone who feels they have been a victim of
negligence
in hospital is advised to speak to a specialist solicitor such
as the team at HJA.
