Injuring ourselves can be quite an easy thing to do – there is a lot out there we can cut and bruise ourselves on! And of course when the injury is through no fault of our own, then a claim for compensation can be brought against the person or company deemed responsible for the incident.
But what exactly does this cover? Well, to be honest, it can cover absolutely anything we injure ourselves on! I would never have thought a simple zip could be the cause of an injury to a young child’s face, but according to sources from the Daily Mail (source), it certainly can…
The source tells of a story of young 2 year old Harrison Claxton sustaining a six inch bleeding gash across his face; all as a result of a zip on his mother’s jeans! Twenty seven year old Natasha Claxton never expected that a simple cuddle with her two year old son could end up in such a serious injury, but according to the report the youngster’s face was cut open by the zip on his mother’s jeans.
If you take a look at the picture (above right), it’s quite a nasty injury! And let’s face it; no one could ever have expected that the zip on a pair of jeans could result in such an injury. Ms Claxton after realising that her young boy had cut his face open recalled cutting her own finger on her jeans just weeks before, and thus made the horrifying connection. She initially surmised that perhaps he had cut his face open on a shard of glass or something when he had been playing on a bed; which shows how serious the wound appears to be.
Ms Claxton purchased the pair of skinny fit jeans from her local New Look branch. She has since made a formal complaint, but currently feels they are not taking her issue seriously – “it could so easily have been his eye”, she said – which would have been even more of a tragedy had he sustained a serious injury to an eye! She has also stated that her concerns do not lie with getting a refund, but rather the safety of other children out there that could potentially suffer a similar injury – or worse!
A spokesperson for New Look has advised that they are taking the issues very seriously, and an investigation has been launched. They have also stated that should a fault be found with the jeans, then “the customer and/or child will be compensated accordingly”. Let’s hope that the injury does not leave any permanent scarring to young Harrisons face; and perhaps be thankful that it wasn’t a lot worse then it could have potentially been…
So if the product is ultimately deemed to be at fault for the incident, what happens? Well, New Look will be liable for any compensation for the suffering the young child has gone through. A claim for compensation can be brought. All claims are important to make – the victim needs to be compensated for their suffering – and it’s perhaps even more important for a child. Children at such a tender age are more susceptible to incidents such as these, and with them being so young the injuries can potentially be worse.
These types of claims are brought under the Sale of Goods and Services Act 1982 – an important piece of legislation that ensure providers of goods and services ensure that their products and services are safe for the users and do not cause anyone to come to harm. Failing to adhere to this leaves them liable for any suffering a victim incurs; and a claim for compensation can be brought against them.
Our suggestion? Speak to an expert independent personal injury lawyer for some free, no obligation legal advice on claiming. Only the experts can give you the best advice and guarantee to represent you to the highest standard, and make the best out of your claim for compensation!
