Three people have been injured in an ‘explosion’ in an outside area of a pub in Suffolk, according to recent reports. The cause of the accident is thought to have been a small portable fuel heater.
“Two females and one male remain in hospital after sustaining serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening but are potentially life-changing,” Suffolk police said. “Officers were called following reports of an explosion in the outside area of the Kings Head pub. It is believed the fire was caused by a small portable fuel heater.”
Accidents in private places such as pubs can be unavoidable, however, if the accident was the fault of the owner of the premises, then you may be able to make a claim.
Accidents in Private Places
Any private premises in the UK has an owner; someone who is responsible for keeping people who visit the premises safe. Private premises can be anything from shops to car parks, and also includes pubs. Occupier’s liability is the area of law that deals with this duty of care and occupier’s liability accidents. It concerns anyone who owns a property that the public can visit.
Accidents can be easy to avoid. The owner of the premises should ensure that they put measures in place to avoid accidents like this from happening. They must also follow rules set out in the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 to minimise the risk of accidents happening. If they fail to do this then they may be liable if someone has an accident on their premises.
In the case of the ‘explosion’ outside the pub, if the owner of the pub did not ensure that the heater was safe for public use, or did not follow the rules of the heater, for example, if it should have only been on for a certain amount of time, then they may be at fault for the accident. The owner of the pub should also ensure that heaters are working properly. They should do this by carrying out tests and risk assessments to check it was working properly. If they did not do this, then this may be another reason they may be at fault.
Life-Changing Injuries After Accidents in Private Places
A life-changing injury is an injury that is serious enough to affect the way a person lives their day-to-day life. They can mean that a person must make a lot of changes to their life. These changes can include:
- Having to give up work
- Modifications to their home or vehicle
- Mobility aids
- Needing a carer
- Rehabilitation
The solicitors we work with can help you cover some of the financial costs associated with a life-changing injury.
How We Can Help
Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with all manner of personal injury claims. This includes accidents in private places and Occupier’s Liability accidents. So contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable advisors.