PwC Employee who lost half of his skull during office party sues firm

An employee of the auditing firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) has sued the company over a serious head injury that he suffered during a work event.

Michael Brockie, an employee at PwC, has sued the company after it failed to ensure his safety by allowing the work event that involved excessive drinking for several years. In the event, an incident occurred leaving him with a brain injury that led to an induced coma in early 2019. Michael filed a personal injury claim for alleged negligence by PwC.

In the court filings, Michael alleged that his manager organized an event to celebrate the end of the “busy season” and there was a “very heavy pressure” to attend it.

As per Bloomberg news, the company organized a game called “pub golf,” where the staff had to consume a different alcoholic drink at each of the nine bars or “holes” on the “course” in as few mouthfuls as possible. The lawsuit claimed that 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.

According to Michael’s lawyer, he was so intoxicated that he has no recollection of the incidents that took place past 10 pm. However, he was later found lying in the streets of a town to the west of London. He also had injuries to his head at that point.

The lawsuit stated, “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 28-year-old employee was able to return to work full time only after seven months of sustaining the injury. He also fears that he may have developed epilepsy due to the incident, reads the court document.

Doctors describe Michael as a “walking miracle” after recovery as half of his skull was removed. Now, the worker is seeking at least £200,000 ( ₹1.88 crores) from PwC.

Reportedly, 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.”