falling object injury claims
If you were injured by a falling object whilst at work, in a public place, or during a road traffic accident through no fault of your own, you could be owed compensation. This article explains how you could launch falling object injury claims for dangerous contact with a jagged object. This guide aims to ensure your understanding of the claims process as a whole by using an example case study. It describes a case involving someone who was awarded £15,000 after an accident involving a fall against an unattended sharp edge while using public transport.
We explain what duty of care is and what laws seek to uphold it in areas of everyday life: the workplace, public places, and the roads. We aim to show you how a skilled No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer can properly value your case. And, we’ll explain the two heads of claim that you could seek to get you the compensation you deserve.
It doesn’t matter if you have no previous experience using a solicitor, we could help you understand the personal injury claims process. And, you’re under no obligation to use our services. We can also explain how you can start a compensation case with no upfront costs. If you’re looking into falling object claims, you can speak to our friendly team, available 24/7 on 0800 408 7825. Alternatively, you can write to us with any points you’d like to discuss at Public Interest Lawyers.
Select a Section
- A Guide To Calculating Compensation For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
- What Injuries Can A Jagged Object Cause?
- Financial Issues From Injuries
- Common Causes For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
- Care Claims Settlement Criteria
- Get Lawyers To Value Compensation Settlements
- Case Study: £15,000 Compensation For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
- Compensation Calculation Estimates For Free
- No Win No Fee
- Locating Top Personal Injury Lawyers
- Contact Us
- Further Resources
A Guide To Calculating Compensation For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
This article aims to set out what steps you would need to take to launch a personal injury claim for compensation in three main areas:
- Accidents that happen in the workplace.
- Accidents that happen in a public place.
- Road traffic accidents (RTAs).
We examine the duty of care that others should uphold to protect your safety in these areas. We also demonstrate, using an example case study, how No Win No Fee personal injury lawyers could value falling object injury claims.
By the end of the article, you should have an understanding of the two heads of compensation you could potentially be awarded. We’ll also give you an idea of what evidence you would need to help validate your claim. Afterwards, we’ll give you tips on finding the best suited personal injury lawyer to handle your case.
Throughout the article, we shall also provide links to relevant websites as well as, statistics to inform your decision on whether or not to start a compensation claim. We encourage you to get in touch with any questions you may have.
What Injuries Can A Jagged Object Cause?
We may assume that the edges and corners of objects we encounter are maintained to a high enough standard not to pose a safety risk. Health and safety guidelines seek to limit our exposure to sharp or jagged edges.
Who Has A Responsibility For Your Well Being?
Natural wear and tear, vandalism and inappropriate usage of objects can render them hazardous. Therefore, if you were seriously injured by something jagged or something that fell on you, you could be eligible for compensation if a third party who owed you a duty of care failed to maintain accordingly. Importantly, two pieces of legislation and a set of road rules seek to protect our safety in everyday life are as follows:
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 aims to ensure that all employers provide adequate levels of clear information, on-site maintenance, and sufficient training to their employees, thereby seeking to create the safest possible environment at work for all.
- The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 holds all private operators and local authorities to strict account to ensure that anywhere accessible to the general public is as safe as possible. Claims against the council could be made in reference to this duty of care. If your accident happened in a place where you are unsure who has a duty of care, speak to our team for clarification.
- The Highway Code asks all road users to show a duty of care to each other when driving, regardless of age or experience. It requires motorists to anticipate that some drivers will not demonstrate the requisite standard of diligence and care.
In order to hold a valid claim, you must be able to prove that a third party had a responsibility for your well being, along with, your safety. They must have acted in a way that breached their duty of care towards you. And, importantly your suffering must be a consequence of this breach. You could have grounds to make falling object injury claims against the people responsible, providing it wasn’t your fault.
Financial Issues From Injuries
Suppose a jagged or falling object injured you, and it happened because of others’ negligence, through no fault of your own, you may find yourself suffering in more ways than just physically. For example, if you cannot work due to your injuries or afford basic care if you need extra help, you might be losing out financially.
A skilled No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer could help you to accurately record the expenses you’ve incurred because of your injuries. These may include:
- Any lost earnings or missed work opportunities.
- Along with, travel costs to and from the hospital to attend to your injuries.
- Additionally, care costs if someone needed to look after you.
You could include other financial damages. Therefore, any financial loss you could recover would be known as special damages. This is one of the two heads of claim in a personal injury case.
Common Causes For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
Depending on the material involved, anything with a serrated edge or broken component could damage the skin and cause lacerations. Some typical examples could include:
- Broken glass.
- Vandalised street furniture.
- Broken or damaged facilities at work or in public places.
- Exposed metal during a road traffic accident.
Government statistics show the prevalence of accidents in the workplace and on the roads. When there is a diminished or neglected duty of care, hazards could exist. The potential for contact with an object that could injure you could be serious.
Duty of care is important because we expect that our safety is considered and wellbeing is protected. When a third party exposes our safety through negligence, there could be potential for compensation claims. If you are unsure if your accident was due to negligence call our team. Through a no-obligation chat, we can assess your case. This way you can have clear answers to any questions.
Care Claims Settlement Criteria
Care claims can form part of your compensation if you can prove that family members needed to take time away from their jobs to look after you. Suppose you can provide hourly rate invoices that prove they needed to give this care to you. In that case, the invoices could act as proof and could form part of your claim. If you decide to use a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer they will be able to assist you with recording these expenses.
If you need to pay for professional care to help you cook, clean, wash and attend to personal care, costs can increase. The severity of your injuries will dictate the level of care you need. And if your case is successful you could claim these costs back.
Speak to our advisors today to see how a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer could help you. They’re experienced in tracking and recording these costs and using them as evidence in falling object injury claims.
Get Lawyers To Value Compensation Settlements
A medical assessment is an integral part of any personal injury claim. This is the opportunity for a medical practitioner to evaluate your injuries and advise on your prognosis, recovery or other long term issues.
A No Win No Fee solicitor has the knowledge and expertise to ensure that all your losses and expenses are accounted for. Once your medical exam is complete they can evaluate your case accurately. Therefore they now have the evidence to put a value to your claim. They will use special and general damages to create a settlement.
General Damages and Special Damages
The Judicial College Guidelines (a regularly updated publication used by solicitors to value injuries) may be used to place a figure on the injury – the general damages part of your claim.
Special damages compensate you for financial loss. Financial losses can be recouped if you have proof of them being due to your injuries. For example, if your leg was injured, you could claim for loss of earnings if this prevented you from working.
In addition, special damages can also include loss of future work opportunities, travel costs to medical appointments, as well as, ay amounts you had to pay for someone to look after you.
You may find, after speaking to a No Win No Fee lawyer, that there are many expenses you could recover that you never considered. Your compensation amount for falling object injury claims could be much higher than you realised.
Case Study: £15,000 Compensation For An Injury Caused By A Jagged Object
On the day of his accident, Mr Blake was travelling to work on the same bus as usual. It was rush hour. In the crush, no one had noticed the exposed edge of metal on one of the handrails on the bus.
As Mr Blake went to get to his seat, the bus pulled away quickly. He fell against the sharp metal edge, lacerating the side of his arm and deeply cutting his hand as he tried to stop himself from falling over. The cut was sufficiently deep for him to require emergency care. There were witnesses and the on-bus CCTV also corroborated his version of events.
After delving into his case with a No Win No Fee solicitor, he understood that the company who operated the bus service had been negligent in not repairing the handrail in a timely matter. As the records showed the defect had been there for some time. This clear breach of duty of care and sufficient medical evidence gave Mr Blake a strong enough case to seek compensation. And, after a short case, he was awarded £15,000 when the company admitted liability. The special damages he recieved are shown in the below table.
| General damages | Special damages |
|---|---|
| Laceration to Arm £5,890 | Mr. Blake was unable to work : £3,000 |
| Laceration to hand £5,260 | Missed gym membership £150 |
| He needed numerous trips to hospital appointments:£150 | |
| Medications: £50 | |
| Help from family and friends £500 |
This case is an example in which someone with a duty of care—in this case, the transport operators—could be negligent. It is for demonstrative purposes only, but is based on our past experiences.
If you suffered an accident that you think should not have happened or could have been prevented, speak to our team to discuss your options.
Compensation Calculation Estimates For Free
Compensation amounts can vary, but if you wondered what you could be eligible for regarding jagged object or falling object injury claims, our case study illustrates the possibilities.
Personal injury claims calculators offered by many online companies can often miss the finer details of your claim. Though useful, they could over or under-value the potential payout and lead to disappointment.
Speak to us to see how a skilled personal injury lawyer might value your compensation amount. They could enable you to financially recover from an accident that was not your fault.
No Win No Fee
You may well be familiar with the term ‘No Win No Fee’. What does it mean and how could it help you claim compensation? You may be nervous about using a solicitor and think they will be expensive. No Win No Fee agreements are purpose-designed to enable people to access legal representation if they want it regardless of their financial state. There are numerous benefits, such as:
- Having nothing to pay upfront to your solicitors.
- Having nothing to pay your solicitor while your case is ongoing.
- If your case is unsuccessful, there is nothing to pay the solicitors in terms of their fees.
- If your case wins, there is only a small success fee to pay the solicitor. The fee is capped to remain low and ensure that the bulk of compensation goes directly to you.
- You receive expert legal advice and support throughout your case.
- You can relax, safe in the knowledge that it’s in your lawyer’s interests to value the claim thoroughly and do everything possible to win your case.
If you have any questions about hiring a solicitor, using a No Win No Fee agreement or any of the other topics discussed above, please don’t hesitate to speak to our team. We will be happy to assist with falling object injury claims.
Locating Top Personal Injury Lawyers
Thanks to the internet, it’s no longer essential to use a law firm near you or wade through thousands of search results online. You could use our help to put you in touch with a solicitor suited to you.
Our panel of personal injury lawyers represent people across the country and routinely settle cases in their clients’ favour. With the expertise to value a claim properly, ensure all the evidence is in place to support it and present a compelling case against the defendant, they could handle your case effectively.
Contact Us
Getting in touch is easy. If you feel ready to launch a personal injury negligence case against work, a private operator or another road user, you can contact us in the following ways:
- Call us directly on 0800 408 7825.
- Write to us at Public Interest Lawyers.
- Speak to our friendly team through the live support option on the bottom right of this page.
We hope you’ve found this guide on jagged object contact and falling object injury claims useful. If we can help with an injury caused by negligence, we look forward to assisting you.
Further Resources
You can read our guide for in-depth information about accident hot spots and claiming.
For further information about negligence claims against the council, please read our guide.
We also have a guide with detailed reading on accidents on public transport.
You can take a look at the Health and Safety Executive’s statistics about accidents in the workplace.
The NHS has online resources for further help about serious lacerations.
Please use the NHS website for in-depth information on using NHS services.
Thank you for reading our guide to falling object injury claims.
Article by EA
Publisher UI.