In keeping with my fascination with personal injury laws in other countries, this guest post is from
Injuries aren’t really a topic you think much about, until you’re affected by one. Sometimes you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you end up in an accident that wasn’t your fault. Unfortunately this can happen in a number of places such as the high street, your place of work, or when you’re travelling on the road.
Shockingly, 172 employees were killed at work in the UK between 2011 and 2012, and there were 27 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury*. Of course, these are only the statistics for injuries and illness in the workplace; in total there are around three million injuries each year.
It’s not always possible to avoid these incidents from happening to you, but it might be helpful for you to be more aware of some of the common personal injury and accident claims that are carried out by people with their solicitor. Here are just five of them that are listed on www.firstpersonalinjury.co.uk/personal-injury-claims:
Slips, trips and falls
There are many hazards out there that could cause a slip, trip or fall. In the street, an uneven paving slab, debris left by workmen, or a wayward cable could lead to an accident. In a supermarket there might be a wet patch from a product that has broken or spilled that hasn’t been highlighted by a sign. There could be a slippery staircase in a train station from a hole in the roof that nobody has fixed yet. The list continues, so just try to be wary of these types of hazards.
Medical negligence
When you go to a doctor or hospital to get treatment or a diagnosis, these medical professionals have a responsibility to do it correctly. However, sometimes things can go wrong; this includes misdiagnosis, or a mistake in treatment or aftercare. This can result in patients suffering badly either through illness, injury, general damage or death. That’s why medical negligence is a common type of claim that personal injury lawyers deal with.
Work-related accidents
You already know the statistics related to accidents in the workplace, but what exactly falls under this category? It could be something like the slips, trips and falls mentioned above, or it could be something that has occurred from your role and responsibilities. We have many factories, warehouses and industrial plants in the UK, all of which have their own risks and hazards. This could include heavy lifting, machinery, chemical exposure, etc. It is important to follow safety regulations and always report broken items and injuries sustained from them.
Road traffic accidents
The roads are very busy, which means that accidents can come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you’re a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist, if you’ve sustained an injury from an accident that wasn’t your fault, you might have a case to claim compensation. This is even the case if you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver as there is a separate fund that can pay out in the place of an insurer. Whatever happens, report it to the police, your insurer and try and get as much evidence as possible.
Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics
