Dermatitis compensation
If you’ve developed dermatitis may be due to an incident at work, in a public place such as the hairdressers or through the negligence of another third party that owed you a duty of care, this article aims to explain the process of launching a personal injury claim as simple as possible. Perhaps you came into contact with a substance in a public place that triggered an allergic skin reaction and you feel that you have grounds to sue the operators? If negligent conditions prompted an eczema outbreak, then contact our advisors to see if you have a valid claim for compensation.
Throughout this article, we provide links to all the relevant websites and statistics that could help you in your decision to claim. Using a typical example case study, we look at all the various aspects of the process of claiming and conclude by showing you how to find the most appropriate No Win No Fee lawyers to help support your claim.
If at any point whilst reading this you have a question, or would like more information please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team who are available 24/7 to take your call on 0800 408 7825 or drop us a line at Public Interest Lawyers.
Select a Section
- A Guide To Calculate Dermatitis Compensation
- Who Has A Duty Of Care?
- Financial Loss From Dermatitis
- What Causes Skin Diseases?
- Care Claims For Skin Conditions
- Your Expert Settlement Calculation
- Case Study: £16,000 Dermatitis Compensation
- Free Claim Estimates For Victims
- No Win No Fee Dermatitis Claims
- Find Quality Personal Injury Solicitors
- Discuss Your Case
- More Guides
A Guide To Calculate Dermatitis Compensation
At the outset of your claim, it’s important to satisfy three points:
- Who had the legal duty of care to my safety in that environment?
- How was it breached?
- Did that result in my injuries?
If you feel that your skin complaint was caused by procedures that were negligent, you could have grounds to be awarded compensation. We examine who has the legal duty of care to you at work, in public, and on the roads and how a No Win No Fee lawyer could use all the relevant information and proof to correctly value your claim.
We discuss the importance of a medical assessment and how your personal injury solicitor will seek two types of damages on your behalf to maximise the potential payout for your dermatitis claim. You may have heard of No Win No Fee solicitors before and we explain exactly what they are and how one could directly benefit you.
Who Has A Duty Of Care?
We are going to concentrate on the three main areas; employer’s liability, public liability, and road traffic accidents (RTA’s) and refer to key pieces of legislation that clarify who had the legal duty of care;
The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 obliges any private operator or local authority to ensure that the premises and areas they control, which are accessible to the public, are as safe as possible. Public liability could be covered here. Those who operate public services have a duty of care to ensure you are not avoidably harmed by operators negligence.
The Health And Safety At Work etc Act 1974 expects all employers to provide the information, training, and maintenance to ensure that the workplace is as hazard-free to all employees as possible. If you encountered something that triggered an attack of dermatitis in the workplace, it’s important to record the accident properly and this link gives advice on that.
The Highway Code is a set of guidelines that asks all road users to show a duty of care to each other, regardless of age or experience. This code even asks that road users drive with the expectation that some motorists may not demonstrate the requisite standard of care and to anticipate that.
If you are caused a skin condition or skin disease because there was a breach in the duty of care owed to you because those responsible for your health and well being acted in a negligent manner you could have a valid claim for compensation, get in touch with our team today to discuss your options.
Financial Loss From Dermatitis
When dealing with the sudden crisis of a serious skin problem, you may find all manner of financial problems cropping up to add to your woes. Perhaps you are unable to continue working or need help with childcare while you attend hospital visits. You may be out of pocket in ways that you never realised and as the expenses mount, you could find your savings depleting or debts increasing.
If your condition is caused due to negligence of a third party that had a legal duty to look after your health a No Win No Fee solicitor can help. When they seek compensation for you, they will look at something called ‘special damages’ which are a way of incorporating all the expenses you incurred as a result of your injuries, and then claim these expenses back so you do not lose out financially. This prevents money worries from becoming a secondary crisis to your ill health.
What Causes Skin Diseases?
There are different forms of dermatitis but generally, it is a type of eczema that causes skin irritation. Sudden attacks of dermatitis can be caused by several things and sometimes it could have not been prevented however, there are times when it may have been caused due to negligence. Some examples are:
- Exposure to a weak irritant
- Exposure to a substance you are allergic to
- Exposure to hazardous substances such as certain acids and alkalines
- Latex, metals, glues, some plants …
You can read more about the causes, prognosis, and treatment of dermatitis here. Work injuries statistics for 2019/20 total more than 690,000. Dermatitis could be caused by the workplace, many occupations could have an effect on the skin including; agricultural workers, beauticians and hairdressers, or cleaners to name but a few.
Speak to our team today about launching your dermatitis claim.
Care Claims For Skin Conditions
A very severe attack of dermatitis could be debilitating and prevent you from normal levels of functioning. If a family member needs to come and help you to cook and clean and wash, this is known as ‘gracious care’ and can be claimed in your expenses at an hourly rate.
This option is not available to everyone and if your dermatitis attack is very bad you may need to pay for the services of a carer to visit you and help. The costs of care can be very high and would soon create a financial crisis for most people.
A No Win No Fee lawyer can show you how to keep exact records of all these costs, and more, so that they can be claimed back for as part of your special damages claim. Without proof, these costs may be difficult to prove.
Your Expert Settlement Calculation
A medical assessment can seem daunting but it’s a central part of any successful personal injury claim and a chance for a doctor to confirm your injuries. When they can establish that your skin condition is the result of your incident they have compelling evidence to give your No Win No Fee lawyer who will seek two heads of damages in your dermatitis claim.
General damages are amounts suggested by The Judicial College which estimates monetary awards for pain and suffering.
Special damages are designed to collect up all the tangible costs that your injuries have caused you and can include loss of earnings, missed work opportunities, travel costs to hospital, and carer costs. Special damages cover a wide range of other potential costs to you as long as evidence of them can be directly linked to the effects of your injuries. If you’re not sure if you could claim for something, speak to our team and discuss your case in a free, no-obligation chat.
Case Study: £16,000 Dermatitis Compensation
Mrs Dennis worked as a cleaner in for a major food supplier. She had worked there for many years and knew her job inside and out. They always ordered in her cleaning products and provided her with any personal protective equipment she needed.
One morning she arrived at work to a whole new batch of cleaning products and was told by her manager that they had switched supplier. She had informed her employer on many occasions of her allergy to latex and as they had always used the same cleaning products so this had never been a problem.
Mrs Dennis put on the new gloves that had been provided by her manager assuming that they had checked that they were latex-free. Through the day Mrs Dennis felt that something was not right with her hands but just thought it may have been a mild reaction to the new cleaning products. Only when she took off her gloves did she realise what had happened.
Highly distressed, she made her way to the Accident and Emergency where they confirmed a serious dermatitis reaction to latex. Her hands had completely blustered and were red and inflamed. She was now in immense pain and was given strong pain killers to help with the discomfort.
As she recovered from the burns and dermatitis, which took a couple of months to subside, Mrs Dennis decided to speak to a No Win No Fee lawyer to explore the potential for suing her employer for negligence. The solicitor agreed that Mrs Dennis had a strong case.
She was awarded £16,000 in compensation for both special and general damages. She used the money to receive specialist skincare and to restore the out of pocket expenses incurred during her illness.
This case is purely an example of the type of claims lawyers handle all across the UK every year. It demonstrates how a skilled No Win No Fee solicitor can leverage the compensation amount to much higher awards by using all the relevant information about your case.
Free Claim Estimates For Victims
Many online companies offer on-the-spot settlement figures for personal injury cases using ‘compensation calculators’. This method of estimating payouts can often over or under-value your claim leaving you disappointed in the final settlement. When you speak directly to a skilled No Win No Fee solicitor you can be sure that every facet of your claim will be properly considered and the amount you win is correct. A break down of Mrs Dennis’s award is as follows:
| General damages | Special damages |
|---|---|
| Pain and suffering £10,200 | Loss of earnings – £4,200 |
| Specialist skin care therapy – £500 | |
| Travel costs to hospital appointments – £100 | |
| Carer costs – £1,000 |
Compensation amounts are never guaranteed and each case is different.
No Win No Fee Dermatitis Claims
No Win No Fee solicitors offer CFA’s (Conditional Fee Agreements) as a way for people who may lack the immediate funds necessary to hire a personal injury solicitor to have legal help if they want it, although it is not a requirement. There are numerous benefits to using this type of agreement for a dermatitis claim, such as:
- There are no fees to pay upfront
- There is nothing to pay while your case is ongoing
- There is nothing to pay your solicitors if the case is unsuccessful
- If your case wins, you pay a ‘success fee’ which is capped by law to keep it low
- You receive the bulk of the compensation
- You receive excellent legal advice and support throughout your case.
For many people, these advantages make using a No Win No Fee solicitor the natural choice to pursue a negligence case. If you’d like to proceed with your claim against work, a public operator, the local council, or another road user, speak to our friendly team today.
Find Quality Personal Injury Solicitors
After you have made a decision to launch your dermatitis claim, you may be wondering what to do next. Internet searches for No Win No Fee lawyers will generate a huge deluge of firms offering their services and whilst it can be useful to read reviews, you may not feel your search is getting any easier.
We can help. When you contact our team we can provide you with access to our panel of personal injury solicitors that offer a nationwide service. We can answer any concerns you may have.
Discuss Your Case
Getting in touch is easy. You can:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Drop us a line at Public Interest Lawyers
- Speak to our ‘live support’ option, bottom right
We hope this guide has been helpful in making your decision to launch a dermatitis claim. If you suffered injuries in the workplace, the roads, or in public in a no-fault accident and you feel it could have been avoided, speak to us today to see how we can help.
More Guides
For information about claims against the council, please read here
For further reading on accident hot spots, please read here
For more information about accidents while out shopping, please read here
Further statistics on workplace accidents, please read here
For treatment suggestions for dermatitis, please read here
For further reading on using the NHS services, please read here
Article by EA
Publisher EC.