How to claim compensation for accident at work?

To start your work accident claim, call our Personal Injury Solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544, have a look at our main website at bishopslaw.co.uk, or visit our specialist compensation claims website at how-to-claim-compensation.co.uk - for FREE initial phone advice, a FREE 1st interview and No Win No Fee representation

In this video Personal Injury Solicitor Anthony Pownall explains how to make a claim for a work accident. (Part 1 of 2)

Transcript:

Hi there, my name's Anthony Pownall, I'm an associate solicitor at Bonallack and Bishop. I work in the personal injury department and I'm here to do a short presentation on accidents at works claims.

"Guide to making a work accident claim"

First step is to try and ascertain what's actually happened, there'll have been an accident at work and we need to sit down with the client, have good chat about whats happened, get as much detail and information as possible and obviously reassure the client because people in this kind of situation are often worried that they may lose their job or have difficulty with their employer but legislation can protect them from those sorts of difficulties.

"Am I protected from unfair dismissal?"

The law protects employees in certain circumstances from unfair dismissal and obviously if your employers starts to get difficult, there is the option of reminding your employer of that legislation and in addition in most cases the employer has insurance and is the insurance company that deals with it rather than the actual employer.

"What happens at the beginning of a claim?"

At the beginning of a claim you sit down with your solicitor and he will go through the accidents circumstances o take as much detail as possible about what has happened. That is very important because the solicitor needs from the outset to work out regulations that apply, various health and safety regulations, like manual handling regulations for example and the old common law negligence which is a duty of your employer to protect you from foreseeable risks of harm or injury.

"What happens next?"

After details of the accident have been taken a letter is then written to the employer. That letter sets out in summary form the circumstances of the accident, brief details of the injury sustained and then the employer has 21 days to acknowledge the receipt and then three months on top of that to investigate and come back with their views of whether they're responsible for the accident or not.

"Should I speak to a lawyer first?"

The best way of dealing with it is to come to the solicitor first rather than discuss it. There will be discussions with the employer because any sensible or reasonable employer, when there's an accident will look into and report on the accident circumstances internally any way so you'd expect to see some discussions between the employee and the employer before the injured person comes to talk to the solicitor.

"What evidence do I need?"

Evidence in support of a claim normally takes the form of witnesses, solicitors should be provided with names and address so that he can go and talk to them. Evidence in respect of losses, so if medication, painkillers for example, you need to keep receipts. Notes of time off work of the people who look after you while you're not at work things like that are required as evidence to support the claim.

Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=8ad3fQ62yWM

For more info and to get in touch, visit bishopslaw.co.uk

This video was created by:

Bonallack and Bishop, Solicitors
Rougemont House, Rougemont Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1LY.
Telephone: 01722 422300