Employee sues PwC who lost half his skull during office party
Premium- Michael Brockie, the employee who has sued PwC, said the company failed to ensure his safety by allowing the work event that involved excessive drinking for several years
Auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been sued by its employee over a serious head injury he suffered during a work event. Michael Brockie, the employee who has sued PwC, said the company failed to ensure his safety by allowing the work event that involved excessive drinking for several years. Brockie, filed a personal injury claim for alleged negligence by PwC, having suffered a brain injury and been put into an induced coma in early 2019.
Brockie said in court filings that there was “very heavy pressure" to attend the event organized by his manager to celebrate the end of the “busy season."
According to Bloomberg news agency, the company had organised a game called "pub golf" in which the staff were expected to consume a different alcoholic drink at each of the nine bars or “holes" on the “course" in as few mouthfuls as possible. Workers who used the fewest swigs to consume their drink were given the best scores, which were recorded on cards that were printed and distributed in the office, the lawsuit claimed.
Brockie was so intoxicated that he has no recollection of events after 10 pm but was found later lying in a street in a town to the west of London, Reading, with the injury, his lawyer said.
"The event not only encourages but makes a competitive virtue of excessive, rapid and prolonged consumption of alcohol over many hours from about 6 pm," the lawsuit stated.
The 28-year-old Brockie was only able to return to work full time over seven months after he sustained the injury and fears he may develop epilepsy as a result, according to the court document. Brockie was described by doctors as a “walking miracle" after recovery. Brockie's half of his skull was removed and now he is seeking at least £200,000 ( ₹1.88 crore) from PwC.
In a statement given to Bloomberg news agency, PwC wrote, "As a responsible employer we are committed to providing a safe, healthy and inclusive culture for all of our people. We also expect anyone attending social events to be responsible and to ensure their own safety and that of others".
PwC put an end to the annual outing after Brockie's injury.
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