A former Springfield childcare worker, who suffered ligament damage after stepping on a piece of Lego at work, was awarded nearly $200,000 in damages.
In his 94-page court decision, Ipswich Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren said that Woodcrest Early Education Centre in Woodcrest Way, Springfield was negligent in fixing the lighting inside a storage shed where Chomba Annie Kabwe Nkamba had her accident in August 2017.
Mrs Nkamba was at the shed at 6:00 a.m. to prepare the childcare centre for the day when she stepped on the Lego block, rolled her ankle, and writhed in pain. She alleged that the Lego was not properly packed away after use and she did not see pieces on the floor as it was still dark and the shed had poor light quality.
Although she received treatment for the ligament damage, Mrs Nkamba’s movements remain limited to this day and have led to her depression.
A week prior to her accident, the Springfield childcare worker said she informed the centre’s supervisor about the shed’s defective light. She also discussed the light with a senior employee and was told it was on the maintenance book.
Queensland Childcare Service, however, argued that Woodcrest Early Education Centre had not been negligent and that Mrs Nkamba tripped after she knocked the Lego blocks off the shelf. They also claimed that the former staff suffered only minor muscle strain.
The judge, however, sided with Mrs Nkamba and ordered Queensland Childcare Service to pay her $197,013.98 in damages.
“Her ankle inverted. She fell. How the block came to be there is central to this case,” the judge said.
The plaintiff and defendant are expected to file submissions of costs in January 2023.