Man may take legal action after workplace accident

A man who sustained serious damage to his leg while at work may take legal action over his suffering.

The 37-year-old, who has not been named, was cutting back trees and shrubs near Metro lines in East Boldon when he slipped and fell, the Sunderland Echo reports.

Bystanders reported seeing the chainsaw he was using at the time becoming embedded in the back of his leg.

Upon hitting the ground, the individual rolled down a nearby embankment.

Because of the nature of his injuries, he was airlifted to hospital.

A spokeswoman for Air Ambulance said: "The male was working on lines near Boldon when he slipped and the chainsaw went into his leg."

The chainsaw had to be removed on-site, she added.

According to Health and Safety Executive figures, there were a total of around 246,000 reportable workplace injuries in the UK in 2008-09, which was down from the 299,000 recorded during the previous 12-month period.