Personal Injury
Personal injury is one of the largest areas of law where legal action is brought between individuals. It can occur in any kind of situation, such as; when receiving medical attention, at work, driving your car or even just walking down the street.
For a claim to be made the injured party will need to assess whether or not someone else is to blame for their accident. If they believe the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, and was entirely avoidable, then they will definitely be able to bring forward a claim for personal injury.
If the injuries are quite serious, and in some cases could become worse over time and reduce the quality of life of the victim, then there may be quite a substantial compensation payout.
Here are the most common types of personal injury claims:
-
Injury at work
-
Medical negligence
-
Road traffic accidents
-
Slip, trips and fall
Injury at work
Accidents at work are the most common of all personal injuries. They tend to occur in trade businesses and warehouses rather than offices as there are many more health and safety hazards. The management of a business is responsible for all health and safety procedures, they will need to ensure they are followed and that all employees are thoroughly trained in their procedures. This will include all relevant health and safety equipment that is needed to avoid harm to the employees. If they fail to protect employees and someone is injured in their daily tasks, then they will have grounds for making a claim for compensation due to health and safety negligence.
To make a claim for an injury at work you will need to be able to prove that your employer was negligent.
Medical negligence
This refers to the negligent actions of anyone in the medical profession; doctors, surgeons, nurses, dentistry, opticians, psychiatrists, midwives and physiotherapists.
The medical profession has what is called a duty of care towards its patients, and this duty of care is in place to ensure that every patient receives the expected level of attention and medical care. If this duty is breached and a patient suffers because of negligent actions, then they will be able to make a claim.
It will need to be proven if the action taken that caused the personal injury, was a reasonable action to take within the course of medical treatment. This will need to be proved by other medical specialists in order to see if the medical processes taken were of the usual form or in some way negligent.
Claims under medical negligence will vary depending on the field of negligence and severity of the accident caused.
Road traffic accident
Car accidents are very common and can cause severe personal injuries. A claim will often be based on the negligence of the driver who is to blame for the accident. Injuries can vary from minor cuts and bruises to brain damage, fractures and loss of mobility. Neck injuries such as whiplash are the most common type of personal injuries due to car accidents and victims can receive up to £15,000 in compensation for claims made.
Slips trips and falls
Slips, trips and falls cover any areas where an individual has been injured due to a fall caused by a negligent party which has in some way caused the accident. The most common examples refer to trailing wires, obstacles in walkways, potholes and slippery surfaces. If the hazards are signposted then there is not possibility for a claim, but if they are not clearly signed posted then compensation for any injuries sustained can be claimed for.
As an example, moderate knee injury claims, as a result of a trip, on average can achieve up to £15,000 in compensation.