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This is anyone’s worst nightmare – being high up when the floor beneath you collapses. The injuries you can sustain from falling from a height, or hitting something as you fall from a low height, can be significant. Our bodies can endure a great deal of punishment, but there only so much twisting, turning, thudding, breaking, and bouncing our body parts can take.
We get a lot of these sorts of claims and they commonly relate to accidents at work. Employees are casually working on scaffolding when the floor decking collapses or breaks, causing you to fall. Equally, the structure of the scaffolding could break apart. It’s normally caused by one of two things: poor construction of the scaffolding, or poor maintenance of the scaffolding.
Whoever is responsible for the scaffolding – whether it’s your employers, or another company you are working with or for on some kind of site or project – must ensure that the scaffolding is erected correctly and is maintained efficiently to prevent such accidents occurring. Health and safety inspections and checking is an easy way to do this. Those responsible for putting up the scaffolding need to be properly trained and provided with the right equipment as well.
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As a pedestrian you can be in danger of being involved in a very serious accident. Motor vehicles are lethal weapons to pedestrians and therefore motor vehicle users must take extra care to avoid injuring pedestrians.
The Highway Code has guidelines for pedestrians which include using pavements if provided, keeping to the right hand side of the road so that you are able to see oncoming traffic if there is no pavement available, and also wearing something light coloured or bright if daylight conditions are poor.
Of course, pedestrians can still be injured even when adhering to these guidelines, as motorists can sometimes be careless.
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Farm Accident Compensation Claims
Tractors, combine harvesters, livestock, 4×4’s, chemicals- these are just a few of the hazards present on a farm. From this list it is clear to see why farming is considered one of the most dangerous industries to work in in the UK. However, it is not just people working on farms that can be at risk of injury, but also people visiting farmland.
Injuries sustained whilst working on a farm.
Your employer is responsible for your safety whilst you are at work – so if you are injured whilst working you have a potential claim against your employer. There is a wide range of accidents that can occur on a farm, especially as there are often several machines in use that require extreme physical exertion and therefore take their toll on your body. It is imperative that all farm-hands receive extensive training and are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary.
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Swimming is a past time enjoyed by many of us – and with the Olympics just around the corner, I’m sure many of us will feel the urge to go to our local swimming baths and enjoy a quick dip! Whether you are lane swimming or just having a leisurely swim, the last thing you want to happen is to get injured whilst in or around the pool.
Injuries sustained whilst swimming can be serious as you have a larger amount of your body exposed than you normally would do. The first thing that comes into my mind is that your feet are exposed and therefore any defects in the flooring are going to cause more damage than when you are wearing a shoe and step on something walking down the street.
Loose, broken and chipped tiles are often culprits in swimming pools that can cause cuts and slices to the skin, but there are also other potential hazards such as loose or uncovered drains.
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Pavement Trip Compensation Claims
Tripping accidents are one of the most common types of personal injury claims. This is not surprising given the condition of many footpaths and roads nowadays.
Bad weather causes further damage to public footpaths and places an increased burden on local authorities to keep them maintained. Accidents are not solely caused by potholes – they could also be from removed or damaged drain covers, manhole covers, raised paving slabs, or building works for example.
Such accidents can cause injuries including cuts, bruises, ligament strains and broken bones. To make a successful in a claim for compensation there must be some form of defect with the ground in question to be able to hold the council or local authority responsible.
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Dangerous Toy Compensation Claims
It was my birthday recently, and unsurprisingly out came the embarrassing pictures of me as a child. Looking through the numerous amounts of photographs of me sitting with my dolls- highlighting their hair with felt tips – it got me thinking about the wide range of toys now available to children.
The toys on the market today are undoubtedly more technical than we used to have in the past, and consequently they have more small and intricate parts; making them potentially more dangerous.
Of course, parental supervision is always recommended when allowing a child to play with a toy with small parts and it is important to check any age guide provided on the packaging: for example, many toys will display a recommended age with a red and white logo with a sad babies face on it.
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Child Claims – Like Nursery and School Accidents.
A child’s first day at nursery and school are undoubtedly emotional. For parent’s it can be hard to accept that they are growing up, and for the child it is often exciting, fun and an opportunity for adventure!
For many parents it is the risk of injury that makes this step so much harder! They cannot stand in the playground watching all of the time and making sure their child does not get hurt- after all children are bound to fall over from time to time whilst playing the latest playground game (in my day this was tiggy lamppost!)
However, if your child is hurt at school they may still be entitled to compensation, just as an adult would be. Children are much more susceptible to injury than adults and can be more serious in the sense that they can affect the child into their teenage years (an already difficult time!) and even into adulthood.
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We are lucky in the UK to have rather strict Health & Safety rules to make sure we are not come to any harm. However, there are microbes and gases that can’t be seen by the human eye – and when they’re breathed in or consumed, the human body’s reaction can be painful.
People endure poisoning of some kind all the time and on a daily basis. The most common form is probably from food poisoning from poorly cooked, contaminated, or out of date food. If it’s your own fault, there’s not a great deal you can do about it – but if you get it from a restaurant or from contamination that was out of your hands, you may have a claim.
There are certain things that you need to consider though – for one, it can be very difficult to actually prove that poisoning has occurred in some way that is out of your hands. If you get food poisoning from chicken, how do you prove that the producer had caused the meat to be contaminated or spoiled as oppose to it coming down to your cooking skills? I’m not saying anyone would lie, but the burden of proof for claims is generally on the victim – so it can be very difficult.
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When the weekend comes, many of us take the opportunity to leave the cooking and washing up behind and head out for a three-course meal at our favourite restaurant. Having worked as a waitress myself, I know firsthand the fast-paced nature of the industry- people rushing round with plates of food, clearing an empty table (and perhaps been a little too adventurous carrying everything) and of course dropping and spilling food and drink on the floor!
With so much happening, accidents do occur that can result in injuries no-one expected when they were ordering their starters.
There are two circumstances that are often brought to our attention here at The Injury Lawyers, which are:
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Unfortunately, criminal assaults are commonplace nowadays – particularly on a Friday or Saturday night when you’re out on the town and some scourge of society decides to set upon you like a neanderthal for what can only be described as ridiculous reasons; normally involving alcohol. But the question here is whether you can make a claim for a criminal assault or not. Luckily, you may be able to make a claim.
If you were set upon intentionally, it can fall within the realms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. This government body, often referred to as the CICA, pays out compensation to the victims of criminal assaults if you meet their criteria. It’s basically a compensation scheme to help victims of assaults claim compensation for the injuries they have suffered.
As it’s a compensation scheme, you must qualify for their strict criteria. If you fail to satisfy one or more of their key criteria, you may find it difficult to make a claim. Here’s a breakdown of the common key criterions:
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