Reporting Your Accident

No matter the type of accident you have, reporting your accident is important. It is important for a number of reasons, including for proof of your accident happening. Other reasons include: so the other party knows the accident happened, loss of earnings due to taking time off work, medical reasons, and to ensure it does not happen again.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) more than 14,000 people die as a result of accidents every year, with thousands more having injuries.

Reporting Your Accident at Work

If you have an accident at work, it is important to report the accident to your employer. In workplaces where there is an accident book, you must make sure you log the accident in there. If not, you must report the accident verbally to a manager or supervisor.

When reporting your accident at work, it is important to note down the date and time of the accident, the cause of the accident, whether there were any witnesses, the treatment you had, and the amount of time you had to take off work.

Reporting Your Accident in a Public Place

Having an accident in a public place may mean that there are a few people that you need to think about when reporting your accident. If you fell in a shop, you need to report your accident to the shop owner or manager. Most shops will also have an accident book or form, so it is important to fill that in too.

If you have an accident on the street, for example, a trip on the pavement, then you will need to report your accident to the council. However, if the council have sent you a claims form, it is important that you do not fill that in and send back if you would like to make a personal injury claim. Nevertheless, the council does need to know about any defects in pavements or roads, so it is still important to report your accident.

Reporting Your Accident on the Road

If you have an accident on the road, for example, a road traffic accident, there are a couple of people you may need to think about reporting your accident to. You must report the accident to your insurance, and take the details of the other person involved in the accident. This is usually their name, registration number and insurance details.

You may also need to report your accident to the police. This is almost always the case in road traffic accidents, as the police are usually called to the scene. If they are not, it is still important to report your accident to them.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience in dealing with all types of personal injury claims. This includes accidents at work, accidents in public places, and accidents on the road. Contact us today by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

Delivery Drivers Work Accidents

The festive season is no doubt the busiest time of year for delivery drivers, and this year they are busier than ever. With everyone staying at home, and online shopping increasing, the extra work may mean that delivery drivers have more work accidents.

The Christmas rush means that there will be more delivery drivers on roads. There are many work accidents that delivery drivers can face, from road traffic accidents to manual handling accidents, and even accidents on customer’s property.

Manual Handling Accidents

One of the biggest causes of work accidents to delivery drivers is manual handling accidents. They often happen due to inadequate or incorrect training. They could also happen due to vans being overloaded.

Employers must ensure that all their staff have the correct training to do manual handling work. If you have had inadequate or incorrect training, your employer may be at fault for your accident. The most common injuries from manual handling accidents are back injuries, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

Your employer must follow the rules set out in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This reduces the chances of accidents happening and is designed to protect staff.

Road Traffic Accidents

Having a road traffic accident at any time is bad but having one whilst you are working is even worse. The main cause of road traffic accidents is careless driving. If you have a road traffic accident whilst at work, you must make sure you report the accident to your employer as well as getting the details of the other driver and, if necessary, contacting the police.

Work Accidents whilst delivering

Another work accident that a delivery driver may have is an accident on the property where they are delivering. This could be a slip, trip or fall, a manual handling accident, or even a dog bite. There are various people who may be at fault if you have an accident on the property of the place you are delivering to.

If it is a business, then it is the business owner who may be at fault. This is especially true if you tripped on uneven paving. In this case, the blame could also fall with the local council, so it is important to take pictures of the defect.

If you are injured at someone’s house, and the person you are making the delivery to owns their property, it is the homeowner who may be at fault. There are certain specifics depending on the accident if it may be the homeowner who is at fault. These include insurance and ability to pay.

It is always important to report the accident to your employer. This is also true if you had the accident whilst you were out doing your deliveries.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes accidents at work. So contact us today by filling in our contact form, or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable advisors.

Cold Weather and Public Accidents

We are now in Winter, and we all know that Winter and cold weather go hand in hand. Cold weather and public accidents unfortunately can also go hand in hand.  In the cold weather, there may be an increase in accidents in public places. This includes trips and slips on pavements. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), slips, trips and falls are the most common accident in everyday life.

There may be more risks on pavements in the cold weather too. The temperatures may affect paving and potholes. This can lead to more trips and falls, and it is something that we deal with on a daily basis here at The Compensation Experts.

Cold Weather and Public Accidents: Potholes

As the temperatures go down, the rate of potholes may increase on pavements and roads. Add that to the cold surfaces making injuries worse, and you could potentially be hurt for longer than usual.

The Winter may also make the quality of the pavements worse due to ice and frost on the ground. Whilst local councils can not do anything about the weather, they must still ensure that the weather does not affect their maintenance of roads and pavements.

There are certain sizes that potholes must be in order to make a claim. On the pavement the pothole must be at least an inch deep. On roads, potholes must be at least 2 inches deep and at least 12 inches (a foot) wide. It is always best to take pictures if you have fallen due to a pothole, as it can help your claim.

Cold Weather and Public Accidents: Pavements

The cold weather may also cause pavements to crack more. This can increase the risk of people tripping on the pavements. Pavements with defects can be dangerous, as they can cause injuries that last a while, such as fractures and breaks. These injuries can take a long time to recover from and may even require surgery. If it was an accident due to the fault of the council, then you may be able to make a claim.

The council must ensure that they maintain a regular upkeep of their pavements to avoid accidents like this happening. This is especially important in Winter as the cold weather can mean that the injuries people have can be worse.

Similarly to potholes, there is a certain size that a loose or cracked pavement must be either raised by or lowered by. On a pavement, the pavement must be raised or dropped by at least an inch in order to make a claim. It is also best to take pictures in this situation too, as it can help your claim.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all types of personal injury claim. This includes trips and falls on pavements and roads due to potholes and pavement defects. Contact us today by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.

Accidents on Public Transport for Students

University students across the UK are currently travelling home for Christmas, with many using public transport. During this time, with the rush for many students to get home before the 9th December, the likelihood of accidents on public transport may rise. There could be more road traffic accidents, or accidents at stations due to the rush of people travelling.

Students have been told to travel between 3-9 December if they test negative for COVID-19. This is because the infection rates will generally be lower after the mass testing that they have undergone. They are planning on doing this to reduce the risk of the students passing the virus to their loved ones. The government and universities are likely to stagger the return to universities after the Christmas period in January.

Students on Public Transport

There will undoubtedly be a lot of students using public transport during this week, and with that the amount of accidents may rise. Accidents on public transport can occur on buses, trains, taxis, and more.

According to a report by the BBC, students in England can travel as long as they have had a negative test result. In Scotland students must have two negative test results in 5 days before they can travel. If students test positive, then they must self-isolate before being able to travel.

The public transport companies may add extra transport for this period. This may also cause the number of accidents to rise.

Accidents on Public Transport

The main accident that can occur on public transport is a road traffic accident (RTA). For example, if you are on a bus and a driver hits the bus, or vice-versa, then you may be able to claim. This includes if the accident was the bus driver’s fault.

Another accident that may happen on public transport includes accidents because of the rush of people trying to get on transport, such as a fall at a station. If you have fallen at a station, and it was someone else’s fault, such as a floor that has been recently cleaned but does not have a wet floor sign, then you may be able to make a claim.

What to do if you have an accident on public transport?

If you have an accident on public transport, the first thing you need to do is report the accident. That can be to the bus driver, the bus or train company, or the taxi company. Then you need to make a GP appointment or go to A&E to see the extent of your injuries.

It could also be beneficial to you if there are witnesses to the accident. That could be other passengers or other drivers that were involved in the accident. Or it could be any staff if your accident happened at a station.

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes accidents on public transport. Contact us today by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable advisors.

Accidents at Work at Christmas

Accidents at work are always common, however, during the lead up to Christmas, they tend to increase. This is mainly due to increased workloads for staff during the festive season. It can also be due to staff not having adequate training, understaffing, and higher expectations.

It is the responsibility of your employer to ensure that they keep you safe at work. This is especially important during the festive season because of the increased workloads. If you have had an accident at work, and it was due to the fault of someone else, then you may be able to claim compensation.

 

Accidents at Work at Christmas

There are some industries where accidents at work are more likely to happen during the festive period, due to the increased workload. These industries include warehousing and retail.

Manual handling accidents are some of the most common accidents that happen in the workplace. They occur when someone is lifting, pulling, putting down, and moving objects by hand. The injuries from manual handling accidents can be serious, ranging from muscle injuries, to more serious musculoskeletal disorders that can become life-long injuries. These injuries may also worsen, causing you pain and discomfort for a long time.

The increased workload at Christmas means that the likelihood of these accidents happening increases further, as staff have more pressure put on them to work harder.

In retail, the increase in the number of customers in stores can be a hazard, as well as the increased need to replenish stock. If you have an accident because you are unable to replenish stock safely, then it may be something we can help with.

 

Your Employer’s Responsibility

Your employer has a duty of care to ensure you are kept safe at work. There are rules they must follow. These rules are set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Ultimately, your employer must make sure that you are able to do your job safely. This includes making sure there is enough staff to carry out the work, making sure all the staff have the correct training, and making sure that jobs are safe for the staff to do.

With the added pressure on workers to get everything ready for Christmas, it is even more important for employers to make sure the staff are not injured whilst at work.

You may feel uncomfortable claiming against your employer. However, all companies are required to have Employer’s Liability Insurance. This insurance would be used to pay your compensation if you are able to claim.

 

Accidents at Work at Christmas: Temporary Staff

If you are working under a temporary contract, be that through the company or an agency, and you have an accident, you may think that you may not be able to claim. That is not true. Employers have the exact same duty of care to agency and temporary staff that they have to full time workers. This means that they must have the same rules for all. So they must ensure that temporary staff can perform the job safely too.

 

How We Can Help

Here at The Compensation Experts, we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all manner of compensation claims. This includes accidents at work. Contact us today by filling in our contact form, or by calling us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.