Violent robbery at work now she has PTSD

[Flatdog]

Hi. My first post on here so be gentle please.
Without going into too much detail at this time, A work colleague has been struggling with PTSD.
History.
As a manager of a well known shop chain she was attacked late one night by a knife wielding yob.
He chased her around the shop and cornered her in the back office screamed and threatened to stab her if she didn't hand over the cash till contents.
This happened 2 years ago. She was 20 at the time - bright, super positive and was doing well for her age very business orientated etc.. bright future you get the drift.
She's consulted with her doctor and undergone some therapy but its not helping and she's totally introverted, lost her boyfriend due to anger management issues, and now earns minimum wage as she's lost all confidence. Moved back home with parents and has anxiety attacks mainly at night time, however she has them during the day.
Her previous employer has not had any dealings with her since the attack and she hasn't sought legal advice. She's too traumatised to talk about it saying she'll seek advice when she's ok...that will take years I reckon.
This incident is going to continue to adversely affect her and she's totally messed up with no speedy recovery.
I've asked her permission to post on here to seek advice on whether the ex-employer should be taking a more active role in her recovery and recompense her trauma.
Any advice much appreciated.

Flatdog

[des8]

[
What a frightening situation for a young person
.
I would expect any reasonable employer to ensure the safety and health of employees by implementing regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires employers to carry out risk assessments of hazards in the workplace, and this includes the risk of violence
The employer owes a clear duty of care to the employees, which includes protection from violence

There should have been available a written statement setting out how health and safety were managed

Was she working alone at the time? If she was,that IMO would be a clear breach of duty of care.

Besides any claim she might have against her ex employer (I'll leave that to others more experienced in employment Ula ) has she submitted a claim under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (https://assets.publishing.service.go...0108512117.pdf)

[ULA]

So sorry to hear about your colleagues frightening ordeal and for taking a while to post on this thread.

Just a couple of quick questions in addition to the ones posted by des8 if I may.

I presume the police were called?

Did your colleague resign from her previous employer after the incident and if so was it due to the attack or because of how they dealt or did not deal with the situation, in other words what did she give as her reasons for leaving.

Did her previous employer offer her any type of support after the incident, either in terms of time off, referral to specialist support?

Does she know if they referred the matter to their insurers?

A response our questions would really help in us being able to provide some relevant guidance.

[Flatdog]

Thanks for responding folks. I’m currently camping in North Yorkshire, so I’ll see her on my return next week. As far as I know she hasn’t sought any kind of advice so far.

[ULA]

Enjoy your camping and I hope the weather is kind to you.

[DigiSheppard]

I’m so sorry for your work colleague. My wife has PTSD so I know how debilitating it can be sometimes.

As has been mentioned, her employer should have a duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

I’d speak to a solicitor on the matter but I think you might have a case. As for what can be done, CBT might work but my partner benefited from EMDR. It’s a rough ride – and some solutions will work while others won’t – but I’d consider seeking that.