If you have experienced a personal injury, you might be eligible for compensation, regardless of whether the incident occurred in the UK or abroad, at work or in public. Our legal experts are here to help you get the rehabilitation, compensation and support you need.
Personal injury
Work accident reports: do I need to have signed one?
It’s a common misconception that without a formal work accident report, or witness evidence, a claim will not succeed. This is often not the case.
Although both an adequate work accident report and any potential witness accounts are certainly good to have, more often than not, it’s not necessarily going to prevent you from making a successful claim if you don’t have them.
It’s a common misconception that without a formal work accident report, or witness evidence, a claim will not succeed. Even CCTV footage is not used as much as many people think. Whereas CCTV footage has been very helpful on the odd occasion, it’s surprising how rarely it’s relied upon by either party in practice.
So without a work accident report, how do you prove an accident occurred?
The answer is usually found in medical records as both your GP and hospital staff should make a note of how any workplace injury you suffered was caused.
A note from a medical practitioner in the treatment records will typically carry significant weight with a judge because it will have been prepared shortly after the accident when your memory of events was still fresh.
If you work in a place where no accident book exists or such a book is buried at the bottom of a cupboard, you can still find evidence in the RIDDOR report. By law, your employer has to complete and send this to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if you are absent from work for three or more days.
RIDDOR report
A RIDDOR report (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) can only be submitted by what the HSE term: “responsible persons.” These include employers, the self-employed, and people in control of work premises. RIDDOR reports must be submitted for most types of work accidents, including:
- accidents resulting in the death of any person
- accidents resulting in specified injuries to workers
- non-fatal accidents requiring hospital treatment to non-workers
- dangerous occurrences
You may think that this report might not be as accurate as a note made by the injured person themselves because the employer may have the prospect of facing a claim in mind; but a RIDDOR report can be a very helpful piece of evidence.
What about witnesses?
Work colleagues are not always as helpful as you might think. An injured person will usually find that a work colleague is perfectly keen to help and rally round to help you get back on your feet following an accident, but that enthusiasm can easily wear off when they face the prospect of signing a statement prepared by a solicitor.
It’s not surprising that many people are concerned about how their employer will react to them assisting in a claim against the company. Although there are laws to protect employees against being victimised by employers, when it comes to the crunch, the witness you may have thought would be there to help may actually go quiet when asked to sign a statement for proceedings.
Our work accident experts at Slater and Gordon will investigate your accident by speaking to witnesses and taking statements. But if they do not want to cooperate, it isn’t always a problem.
If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself injured at work, ask if you can complete the accident book yourself. Your employer may not have one or it may not be immediately available, but if that is the case, then you should make a note in your diary or send a text message or email to a partner, friend or family member setting out exactly what happened to you. In addition, maybe you could make an audio or video recording using your mobile phone if you find that easier.
How we can help
It’s never too early to think about instructing a work accident expert to help you. While the events are still fresh in your mind, you can speak to your lawyer who will make detailed notes and prepare a statement for you.
Slater and Gordon have a specialist team of personal injury lawyers who deal with accident at work claims on a no win no fee basis. For a free consultation call 0330 041 5869 or contact us online and we’ll be happy to help you.
All information was correct at the time of publication.
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Personal injury
What sort of personal injuries can I claim for?
The list below covers some of the most common causes of personal injury Slater and Gordon deals with on a daily basis. If you have been injured through no fault of your own, contact us or click on the icons below to learn more about how we can help you based on your injury type.
Injury in public
What sort of public injuries could I claim for?
There are literally thousands of accidents in public places that lead to personal injury compensation claims being made every year. Some are just that: accidents that no-one is to blame for. However, where negligence has occurred, you may be able to claim compensation for injuries, rehabilitation and loss of earnings. These claims include:
Road traffic accident claims
Uber Passenger Accident Claims
If you or a loved one has been injured as a passenger in an Uber accident, you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim. Our Uber accident lawyers are experts in their field, and can help you access the support, rehabilitation and compensation you deserve.