When you have an accident who is negligent, you or someone else?

Nowadays, the law is more sympathetic to the injured party when it comes to the injured party in compensation claims. When it comes to accidents at work the ‘duty of care’ model which is now in place protects employees against accidents in the workplace and place higher liability on businesses to provide safe working environments. The law has changed and nowadays it is not a case of the victim having to prove that the accused committed negligent behaviour, instead it is more of a case of the accused having to prove their non-negligence. This means that the accused are guilty until proven innocent under the new structure.

The re-structuring of the legal system, along with other factors has meant that there has been a huge influx in compensation claims in the UK. No win no fee, no-fee contracts for lawyers; tougher liability and employment laws have all seen the amount of compensation claims rise greatly. Some critics of the boom have gone as far as saying that there is now a growing compensation culture in the UK. Statistics show that more than one in seven people in the UK who have been involved in an accident now take legal advice to them in making a personal injury claim. The same survey went on to show that 78% of Britons said that taking an employer to court in a bid to claim compensation after an accident at work was morally acceptable and the norm in many workplaces.

Whilst there are a lot of legitimate claims out, the amount of successful claims are seriously damaging some businesses. However, there are also a lot of people pursuing claims that have little chance of success but are costing companies vast amounts of money in legal fees. The increase in liability cases in the workplace has meant that businesses are now going above and beyond to protect themselves against accidents by regularly assessing risks and adopting defensive procedures.

Businesses are now fully aware of the importance of keeping their staff safe in the workplace and are doing all they can to improve safety standards. However, no matter how many safety procedures are in place, things can still go wrong. Accidents can happen in even the safest of workplaces and if you are involved in an accident in the workplace that is not your fault then you may be eligible to make a compensation claim.

Compensation claims often will not compensate for all the pain and suffering you have to go through as a result of the accident but it can help pay for medical bills and any loss of wages through absence from work. Compensation is your legal right if you have been involved in an accident that was not your fault and you should not be afraid to do so. It can be quite awkward to file a claim against your employer but if they are in the wrong then it is important to rectify the problem so that others don’t injure themselves in the same way that you did. By law your employer should protect you against risks and if they have failed to do so then something needs to be done.

If you need help and legal advice about making a compensation claim against your employer then contact Accident Consult today.

Tags: accidents in the workplace, britons, compensation claims, duty of care, employment laws, influx, injured party, legal advice, legitimate claims, little chance, nbsp, negligence, norm, personal injury claim, working environments, workplaces