Due to the dangerous nature of machinery, chemicals and livestock, farms can be dangerous places that pose numerous safety risks. If you’ve suffered an accident and resulting injuries on a farm, this can have severe affects on your health and wellbeing. As such, you might be interested to learn how farm accident compensation can be awarded for a successful personal injury claim.
Key Takeaways
- According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there were 8,000 non-fatal injuries to workers in agriculture and similar areas between the years 2019 to 2024.
- In 2023 and 2024, there were 690 non-fatal injuries and agricultural injuries reported to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
- You could make a farm accident claim against your employer, or against the occupier of a farm, depending on the circumstances of your injuries.
- A farmer could prevent accidents by ensuring cattle fences are locked, performing regular checks on all machinery and ensuring floor surfaces are kept clear of wires and spillages.
At Public Interest Lawyers, our friendly advisors are here to help you after your accident. As part of the free services that we offer, you could enjoy a case check to look at the strengths of your claim. If your claim is strong, you could be connected with one of the expert No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel to start your claim. Please feel free to get in touch with our advisors today:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Use our free live chat feature
Frequently Asked Questions
- How Much Farm Accident Compensation Can I Get?
- How Can Compensation Help After A Farm Accident?
- Can I Make A Farm Injury Claim?
- What Are The Common Accidents And Injuries Sustained On A Farm?
- How Can I Claim Compensation For A Farm Accident?
- No Win No Fee Farm Accident Compensation Claims
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Learn More
How Much Farm Accident Compensation Can I Get?
Notably, farm accident compensation is calculated on a case-by-case basis; factors such as the severity of your injuries, your recovery period and the effect on your quality of life are taken into account.
In successful claims, you will be awarded with general damages as part of your settlement; this award ultimately aims to compensate you for any physical and mental pain and suffering you experienced due to your injuries.
Your medical report and the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) will be used by a legal professional when calculating your general damages. Often used by lawyers, the JCG publication contains compensation guidelines for many injuries and severities.
All entries in the table below, aside from the first figure, have been taken from the JCG. Please note that the entries are merely guidelines and do not guarantee how much you could receive.
| Injury | Notes | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries with special damages | More than one form of serious injury with special damages such as loss of earnings. | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Very Severe Brain Damage | The level of award will depend on the degree of insight and any sensory impairment | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Moderately Severe Brain Damage | The award will depend on any dependence on others and the ability to communicate | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Severe Neck Injuries (i) | Where the injured person has little to no movement in the neck with severe headaches | In the region of £181,020 |
| Severe Neck Injuries (ii) | Injuries to discs in the spine that may cause a substantial loss of movement in the neck | £80,240 to £159,770 |
| Severe Back Injuries (ii) | A loss of sensation, nerve root damage with an impaired mobility | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Wrist Injuries b) | Injury resulting in significant permanent disabilities | £29,900 to £47,870 |
| Wrist Injuries c) | Less severe injuries where with some permanent disability such as persisting pain | £15,370 to £29,900 |
For an in-depth analysis of your case, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
How Can Compensation Help After A Farm Accident?
Farm accident compensation could also help to compensate you for financial losses you may have suffered due to your injuries; this is known as the award of special damages. For example, you may have paid out of your own pocket for long-term physiotherapy costs to aid your injuries.
Special damages could also include:
- Loss of earnings
- Medical expenses
- Care costs
- Travel expenses
- Home modification costs
Your special damages must also be evidenced via:
- Receipts
- Payslips
- Invoices
- Bank statements
To discover more about the types of special damages you could include in your claim, get in touch today.
Can I Make A Farm Injury Claim?
Yes, you could make a farm accident compensation claim provided that you fulfil the following eligibility requirements:
- You were owed a duty of care by another party
- This duty of care was breached by the party
- You suffered injuries as a direct result of the breach
This is otherwise known as the principle of negligence; you could therefore make a personal injury claim against a third party if you suffered injuries due to the breach in duty of care.
Please keep reading our useful guide to learn about the different scenarios where a duty of care is owed on farms. To learn more about your eligibility, please contact one of our helpful advisors today.
Farm Accident At Work
As per the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, employers have a duty of care to all employees; they must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their staff to prevent any accidents. As such, employers should conduct training sessions for heavy machinery and provide personal protective equipment (PPE) as part of their duty.
Moreover, employers should comply with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) as part of their legal duty.
You could therefore make an accident at work claim if you sustained an injury on a farm due to your employer’s negligence.
Injured As A Farm Visitor
Occupiers of public spaces also have a duty of care to take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of any visitors to their premises; this is outlined by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. For instance, occupiers should erect safety barriers and clean up spillages to prevent accidents as part of their duty.
Therefore, you could make a public liability claim if you suffered an injury as a visitor on a farm due to unsafe premises. For example, you may have tripped over wood from a broken fence, resulting in a broken leg and psychological injuries.
To learn more about public liability claims, please get in touch with our team today.
What Are The Common Accidents And Injuries Sustained On A Farm?
Due to the dangerous nature of farms, there are many situations where accidents could occur. Please see the following examples of farm accident compensation claims could arise:
- Falls from heights. For example, you could fall from an insecure platform that collapsed, resulting in serious neck injuries.
- Chemical injuries. For example, you could suffer organ damage and asthma due to being exposed to strong pesticides and no masks being provided by your employer.
- Animal bites or kicks from farm animals. An occupier could fail to keep a cattle gate locked, causing them to escape and inflict bites onto members of the public.
- Manual handling injuries. For example, your employer may not have provided manual handling training. As a result, you could fall and seriously injure your back whilst carrying heavy boxes into a farm shop.
- Vehicle accidents. For instance, you could lose control of a vehicle such as a tractor or combine harvester due to a lack of training. Consequently, you could suffer broken bone injuries and PTSD.
Please note that the above list is not exhaustive, and farm injuries can occur in many different scenarios. To discuss your own accident, please contact our team today.
How Can I Claim Compensation For A Farm Accident?
To claim farm accident compensation, it’s essential that you demonstrate that you suffered injuries due to another party’s negligence. As such, you could provide the following forms of evidence:
- Your medical records detailing the injuries you suffered
- CCTV footage of the accident. You have a legal right to request CCTV footage of yourself.
- Contact details of witnesses who could support your version of events at a later date
- Photographs or videos of the accident or of any visual injuries
- A copy of an accident report form
Moreover, you will have up to 3 years to start your farm accident compensation claim. As per the Limitation Act 1980, the personal injury claim time limit begins from the date of the accident.
Nevertheless, there are two exceptions to the 1980 Act, such as:
- If the claimant is a child, they will have 3 years to claim from their 18th birthday because minors cannot manage a claim themselves.
- If the claimant lacks mental capacity to claim themselves, they will have 3 years to claim if they ever make a full recovery.
You could make a claim on behalf of a loved one for the above claimants as a litigation friend. To learn more, please contact our advisory team today.
No Win No Fee Farm Accident Compensation Claims
Our experienced team of advisors work around the clock to answer any questions you may have about making a claim. Moreover, you could be connected with one of the specialist No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel to start your claim for farm accident compensation. Operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you could enjoy:
- No solicitor service fees upfront or as the claim progresses
- No solicitor fees in the event that your claim is unsuccessful
- The requirement of paying a small success fee if your claim is successful. Please note that the success fee percentage is legally capped and will be deducted from your compensation. As such, you’ll always receive the bulk of your compensation.
To know more about the benefits of CFAs, please get in touch with our team today.
Contact Us
To start your claim for farm accident compensation, please feel free to contact us on:
- Call us on 0800 408 7825
- Contact us by filling out our online form
- Use our free live chat feature
Frequently Asked Questions
To learn more about farm accident compensation claims, please see the common questions and answers below:
Will I Lose My Job If I Claim For An Accident On A Farm?
No, you will not lose your job for exercising your employment rights and making a claim against your employer. If however you have been treated differently, demoted or dismissed by your employer for making a claim, you could:
- Speak to HR
- File a complaint
- Claim for unfair dismissal
Can I Claim For A Farm Accident If I’m Self Employed?
Yes, you could make a claim if you were injured on a farm even as as a self-employed worker; the legal duty that protects employees also extends to self-employed staff. This is also outlined in Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Am I Still Able To Claim If My Farm Injury Is Fully Healed?
Yes, it’s likely that you could still claim if your farm injury is fully healed. However, your claims likelihood of success will depend on:
- Medical evidence, such as a doctor’s opinion about your prognosis period
- Proof of any treatment, such as prescriptions and physiotherapy sessions
To discuss your injuries in further detail, please contact our friendly team today.
Learn More
To learn more about personal injury claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Get help with claiming for chest injury compensation
- Learn about claiming for foot injury compensation
- See the advice on car park accident claims
Additional external resources:
- Learn about when to call 999 from the NHS
- Get help with statutory sick pay from Gov.Uk
- See the advice on managing sick leave and return to work from HSE
Thank you for reading our guide about how to claim farm accident compensation.