In the District Court of Queensland case Paetzold v At Beach Court Holiday Villas Pty Ltd [2024] QDC 35, Herman Herbert Paetzold, the plaintiff, was awarded damages after sustaining injuries while employed as a gardener/caretaker by the defendant, At Beach Court Holiday Villas Pty Ltd. The court found that the defendant was negligent for failing to replace a defective battery in a ride-on mower, which led to Paetzold's injuries when he attempted to manually manoeuvre the mower. The injuries included a tear to his Achilles tendon and alleged damage to his left knee, though the connection between the knee injury and the incident was disputed. The court ruled in favour of Paetzold for his Achilles injury but did not connect the knee injury to the workplace accident in terms of liability. Paetzold was awarded a sum of $41,076.88, adjusted for a statutory refund, underlining the employer's responsibility to ensure a safe working environment and the importance of maintaining equipment in good working order.
Paetzold v At Beach Court Holiday Villas Pty Ltd [2024] QDC 35
Updated: Apr 16, 2024