A citizen has demanded SR12 million in damages from his company following an injury he sustained during working hours which resulted in the amputation of both his legs.

Al-Khanfari Al-Qahtani, whose case was presented before a labor dispute settlement court in Al-Ahsa Province, declined a compensation of SR180,000 offered by his company on the ground that the same company had given SR4 million as compensation to an American whose four fingers were amputated following an accident, a local daily reported.

Al-Qahtani’s legs were amputated following injuries caused by a big tank which came crashing down on him. This, he claimed, had caused psychological, material and moral damage to him.

The court, which decided to hold another hearing next month to look into the case, has asked the plaintiff to bring documents and evidences to support his SR12 million compensation claim, the daily said.

Al-Qahtani said the SR180,000 offered by the company would not even cover the expenditure on medicine he has been taking since the accident.

Lawyer for the plaintiff Abdullah Al-Faiz said his client was asking for the simplest of rights from the company he worked for in the form of compensation for the damage caused to him. The accident had reduced him from being a productive person to a totally disabled person, he argued.

He said his client has been subjected to enormous moral, health and psychological pressures since the accident four years ago.

He was denied help from offices he approached and, consequently, succumbed to a series of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and depression, he said.