Accidents At Work

As well as claiming for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries you are entitled to recover any financial losses that are attributable to the accident, such as medication costs, travel expenses and lost income. You are also entitled to claim for the cost of care, medical treatment and rehabilitation and not just for past expenditure, but also to cover your future. The claims process is complex and requires expertise to maximise the amount of compensation you are entitled to – we will work with you to ensure that we maximise your compensation so you are not left short in the future.

Unlike bringing a claim for unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal, there is no qualifying length of service required to bring a personal injury claim – you are entitled to a safe working environment from day one. This extends to those on zero hours contracts, temporary workers, self-employed contractors, as well as full and part time staff.

This is a very common concern for clients who have been injured at work. Many clients worry they will be sacked, or their work colleagues will suffer due to the claim. This anxiety is understandable, but employers cannot lawfully dismiss an employee just for bringing a personal injury claim. Of course, unscrupulous employers often act unscrupulously, so if you are dismissed as a result of bringing an injury claim we will support you in challenging that decision.  

We recently represented a client who delayed bringing a claim for nearly 3 years because he and his sons all worked for the same employer and he was concerned his sons would lose their jobs – this was despite the fact the father had suffered life-altering injuries. Our client’s sons eventually left the employer and we were urgently instructed to pursue the claim within the three-year time limit. We secured £1m in compensation for the client, giving him the ability to adapt his home and pay for the life-long care he required. If the family had left it just another week he would not have been able to claim. If you are anxious about the wider implications of making a claim we encourage you to speak to us today in total confidence.

The vast majority of clients who have suffered Accidents at Work opt for our ‘no win, no fee’ model, which means we only get paid if we win your case.  There are no upfront costs.  If you win your case you pay a contribution to our legal fees out of the compensation you recover.  This amount varies depending on the circumstances of your case, but it will never be more than 25% meaning you will always receive at least 75% of any award.  If as part of your claim we recover compensation for future needs such as care costs, or prosthetics, or for anticipated lost earnings you will receive 100% of that compensation without any deduction for our costs.  We will discuss this with you at the outset of your case. Read more here.

This is a difficult question to answer, but it is one that every client raises. It is difficult to answer because so many factors are outside of our control, including the behaviour of our opponents, availability of medical experts, the complexity of your injuries, how you respond to treatment, and the availability of Court time. Once we know more about the details of your case we will be able to offer you an informed time estimate. In general terms, it is rare for an ‘Accident at Work’ case to settle in less than 6 months and those that do are lower value and straightforward. On average you should expect a moderate ‘Accident at Work’ claim to take approximately 12-18 months to resolve – the sooner the claim starts the sooner it will conclude. Our most seriously injured clients’ claims can take many years to fully resolve, but there are mechanisms for obtaining payments as the case proceeds to assist you financially during the claims process.

In general, you have three years from the date of your accident to formalise your accident at work claim. If the accident occurred before you were 18, you have until your 21st birthday to commence proceedings. If you don’t proceed within these time limits you will be unable to present a claim. There are some special circumstances where these time limits may vary – for example if the accident happened abroad – so we encourage you to seek advice as soon as possible.