To lose your sight due to an accident at work, in a public place, or a road traffic accident could be devastating. To know that it could have been prevented, and you were injured through no fault of your own, could enhance any stress related to it. In this article, we hope to further your understanding of what it means to launch a claim for loss of sight compensation and the steps involved in that process.
Our expert panel of personal injury lawyers covers the country. They routinely help people obtain the compensation they deserve for all manner of personal injuries. We explain the process by using an example case study involving someone who lost their sight completely. Someone else’s negligence led to their injuries and an adequately valued compensation award helped them begin rebuilding their life.
loss of sight compensation
Throughout this article, we will provide links to other websites for further information. We hope that it aids your decision on whether to pursue your own personal injury claim. If you would like to know more about anything discussed, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 408 7825 or drop us a line at Public Interest Lawyers where our friendly team is available 24/7 and happy to help.
Select a Section
- A Guide To Calculating Compensation For Total Blindness
- What Is Loss Of Vision?
- What Classifies As Financial Loss?
- Common Loss Of Vision Accidents
- Can I Receive A Care Claim For Blindness?
- Specialist Settlement Loss Of Sight Compensation Calculations
- Case Study: £700,000 Total Blindness Compensation
- You Could Be Eligible For Specialist Estimates
- How No Win No Fee Works
- Your Loss Of Sight Case Could Use Top Personal Injury Lawyers
- Call Our Team To Learn More About Loss Of Sight Compensation
- Additional Links About Loss Of Sight Compensation
A Guide To Calculating Compensation For Total Blindness
Perhaps one of the most life-altering and traumatic losses that someone can endure, a person’s sight can be invaluable. Our article aims to show you how a breach of duty can cause avoidable accidents. A claim could at least allow you to have a settlement that helps you recover from financial loss and make life bearable.
We look at the duty of care that is owed to you to ensure your safety at work, in public, or on the roads. We examine who had that duty to you, how they may breach it, and what injuries you suffered as a result. In this guide, we concentrate on the three main liability areas: employers’ liability, public liability, and road traffic accidents (RTAs).
We demonstrate how to value your claim accurately without using online personal injury claims calculators. Though sometimes helpful, they can overlook the subtle details of your case and end up disappointing you by either over or under-valuing your potential compensation payout.
We will also discuss the two heads of compensation that could be available to you. Using a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer from our panel could help you claim with minimal stress and maximum efficiency. Get in touch at any point to find out how you could claim loss of sight compensation.
What Is Loss Of Vision?
According to the NHS, there are almost 2 million people who suffer from sight loss in the UK. Loss of vision means that your sight is impaired unless you use corrective measures. Sometimes patients will need glasses, for example, to correct their vision. For serious conditions such as blindness, treatment of sight might not be possible. However, aids such as walking sticks and home adaptations can help the patient carry out daily activities.
An accident that damages the eyes can be severe and can lead to permanent long-term problems and far-reaching difficulties regarding everyday life.
It is possible to live a full life with vision loss. And, if your eyesight was damaged as the result of a preventable accident, caused due to a breach in the duty fo care owed to you, you could qualify to make a personal injury compensation claim.
Duty of Care and Loss of Sight Compensation
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 outlines employers’ duty to provide as safe a working environment as possible. The law is expansive, detailed and worth reading to help you correctly understand how duty of care can be breached. Therefore, you can read about how a workplace accident should be recorded appropriately, and get an idea of the statistics around workplace injuries in Britain too.
The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 seeks to provide similar protection of safety in places accessible to the public. It binds private operators and local authorities to strict regulations. There can be penalties if these duties are breached. So, if you had an accident that wasn’t your fault in the street, when shopping, in the park, or anywhere open to the public and it resulted in serious eye injury, you could be owed compensation.
The Highway Code requires all road users to demonstrate a duty of care to each other. It also necessitates road users to anticipate that some drivers may not show due diligence or care when driving.
Were you affected by loss of vision because of an accident at work, in public or on the road, was it caused by a breach of the duty of care outlined in the above? If so, you could claim for loss of sight compensation.
What Classifies As Financial Loss?
A serious accident resulting in blindness would likely require a hospital stay. Though the patient may not be prepared for returning home, institutions such as the Royal National Institute for the Blind give useful advice on adjusting to life without full vision.
The financial repercussions of sudden blindness could be serious. You may not be able to continue in your profession, you may need constant care and supervision, and the idea of trying to continue with life on any level may seem overwhelming. All of these implications could add a financial cost to your circumstances.
If you consult a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer, they can explain how special damages could help boost your compensation payout. They could go some way to recovering the possible extra expenses you could incur.
Designed to stop your finances from suffering, special damages aim to restore the expenses an accident causing total blindness could create. If these costs are proved and included, your lawyer if you have chosen to use one, could significantly increase your loss of sight compensation award.
Common Loss Of Vision Accidents
Given their unique vulnerability, the eyes could be damaged in several ways during an accident. Shards of glass could penetrate the eyes of road users during a road traffic accident. A blow to the head or any sharp object that penetrates the eye’s soft tissue can result in total and permanent blindness.
Our case study, provided later in the article for illustrative purposes, features a person who suffered a severe blow to the head. It resulted in her sight loss.
Can I Receive A Care Claim For Blindness?
With an injury like total blindness, you may need help to adjust. Being cared for by family or friends can be included in your compensation claim if there is supporting evidence from them to validate their time caring for you. If this is not an option available to you, you may need to pay for professional help. The NHS advises on the costs of someone coming into your home to help you cook, clean, shop, and attend to personal care, and it can be costly.
These costs would need to be met by yourself which, for many people, could create an immediate financial crisis. A personal injury lawyer could show you how to retain evidence such as bills to present as part of your compensation claim. Without proof, these financial losses can be difficult to recover from the defendant’s side, leaving you to foot the bill.
Specialist Settlement Loss Of Sight Compensation Calculations
A medical assessment is an important component of a personal injury claim and can significantly support your case. A medical professional creates a report that either attributes or doesn’t attribute your injuries to the accident you were involved in. If the medical professional does find that your injuries were caused by the accident, it can form compelling evidence in your favour.
There are two heads of compensation that your No Win No Fee solicitor could seek in your loss of sight compensation claim.
- General damages: These are awarded based on your pain and suffering due to the accident, whether that be physical, mental or both. The Judicial College Guidelines is a publication that lists potential payouts for injuries. One of the highest awards they suggest for total blindness is £252,180, which reflects the devastating nature of an injury like this.
- Special damages: These seek to restore the lost finances and out-of-pocket expenses that could result from your injuries. Financial loss could include loss of earnings, job opportunities, travel costs, home modifications, medical adaptations, and personal care costs.
A skilled No Win No Fee lawyer could guide your case to the best outcome. They could accurately value the compensation amount you could receive. If you feel that your injury could have been prevented and you believe a breach of duty of care caused it at work, on the roads, or in a public place, call our team today for a no-obligation chat to discuss your options.
Case Study: £700,000 Total Blindness Compensation
Miss Reynolds was a working mum with two small children and a busy lifestyle. She worked at a scrapyard. On the day of her accident, she was walking across the yard to her car in order to get some lunch.
A piece of scrap metal fell from the crane. It struck Miss Reynolds on the head. In the hospital, doctors confirmed that she had suffered no brain damage. But tragically, she had completely lost her sight. Doctors believed it would be permanent. Understandably, she and her family were devastated. She went through the worst time of her life as she tried to adjust.
After some time, she slowly began to accept her blindness, but she needed a lot of support. She needed help looking after her children and she could not continue working in her current role. She feared she might not be able to work again. Her home was a strange and dangerous place to her, and she needed support for depression. Money worries on top of all this pushed her to thoughts of suicide.
Claiming Loss of Sight Compensation
At this point, a friend suggested that she speak to a No Win No Fee solicitor. After talking to her solicitor, she collected evidence of her additional costs resulting from the injuries. Witness statements and CCTV confirmed her injuries resulted from an avoidable incident.
Her employers admitted liability. And, Miss Reynolds claimed £700,000 in recognition of the severity of her injuries and financial loss. It breaks down as follows:
| General damages | Special damages |
|---|---|
| Loss of Total Sight £252,180 | Miss Reynolds effectively lost her job and any future career until she could adjust to her situation. Her lawyer was able to estimate her loss of future earnings at £355,000. |
| She needed round the clock care for six months: £30,000 | |
| Adaptations to her home: £40,000 | |
| Childcare: £15,000 | |
| Therapy and occupational therapy costs: £7,820 |
This case is a fictional example. However, our breakdown illustrates how general and special damages worked together to maximise Miss Reynolds’s compensation amount. Every case is different, but if you had an accident that wasn’t your fault, and it caused your injury, great or small, call our team today to see if we can help you.
You Could Be Eligible For Specialist Estimates
Miss Reynold’s payout is an amount that reflects the life-changing nature of her injuries. The process can work similarly when valuing any type of personal injury compensation settlement. Had Miss Reynolds suffered less serious injuries she may have received less compensation. Likewise, if her financial loss hadn’t been so significant, she may not have received as much compensation to cover it. Had she not provided documents to prove the financial damage her injuries caused her, she may not have recovered the costs. This is why each case is unique to the individual.
If you’d like free legal advice on your claim or an educated estimate of what loss of sight compensation you could be entitled to, get in touch with our team of advisors. They’re here for you 24/7, so that you can talk whenever you need to.
How No Win No Fee Works
You may be familiar with the term No Win No Fee agreement, but what does it mean exactly? Also known as Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs), they can offer people who lack the immediate funds to hire a solicitor for their case. There are no fees to pay upfront, or while your case progresses. And, you won’t have to pay solicitor fees if your case does not succeed.
If your case wins, there is a small success fee which is capped by law. This is to ensure that the majority of the payout goes directly to you. You could receive expert legal advice throughout your case, and be safe in the knowledge that the solicitor has a vested interest in gaining the maximum compensation award for you.
Your Loss Of Sight Case Could Use Top Personal Injury Lawyers
If you call our team for free legal advice, there is no obligation to proceed with our services afterwards. If they think you could be eligible for compensation and have a high chance of having a successful case, our team can put you in touch with a personal injury solicitor from our panel that works to a No Win No Fee structure.
Thanks to the internet, it’s no longer essential to be restricted to the services of a firm in your area.
Call Our Team To Learn More About Loss Of Sight Compensation
We hope you’ve found this article useful and if you feel ready to launch a claim. If you would like more information on any of the things we’ve discussed, it’s easy to get in touch:
- Call us directly on 0800 408 7825.
- Write to us through our contact page.
- Speak to Michelle via our live support option.
Additional Links About Loss Of Sight Compensation
You can take a look at our guide for more information on making a claim in a public place.
We also have further reading on claims against the council.
or information on cycling accidents, read our guide.
The Health and Safety Executive is a great resource for statistics on accidents in the workplace.
You can also find help on how to use the NHS.
Article by EA
Publisher UI.