Last Updated On 13th August 2024. If you have suffered harm on a construction site as a result of someone breaching the duty of care they owed you, you may be able to seek compensation. We understand that the process of claiming may seem complex. For that reason, you may wish to hire a solicitor to help you claim. However, you may have apprehensions about doing so because of the costs often associated with the services of a solicitor.
If so, this guide could help by providing information on how construction accident solicitors could assist you with personal injury claim under terms that suit you.
This guide discusses how a No Win No Fee arrangement could help you avoid paying any upfront costs and ongoing costs during the process of your claim. Additionally, we will look at how compensation is often calculated and the evidence you will need to provide in support of your claim.
Although we have aimed to cover the information you need, we understand if you have any additional questions after reading. If this is the case, please don’t hesitate to contact our team by:
- Calling our free helpline on 020 8050 2736.
- Using our live chat option.
- Filling out our online contact form.
Select A Section:
- When Could I Use Construction Accident Solicitors?
- What Are Examples Of Construction Site Accidents?
- Building Evidence For A Strong Compensation Claim
- How Much Compensation Could Construction Accident Solicitors Get Me?
- Could I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
- Further Information About Construction Accident Solicitors
When Could I Use Construction Accident Solicitors?
There are various types of construction accidents that could harm employees if the correct safety measures are not put in place.
An employer has a duty of care to their employees as outlined in the Health and Safety At Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). The duty they are required to uphold involves taking reasonable and practicable steps to prevent accidents in the workplace. An employee could have the right to claim for an accident at work if this duty isn’t upheld.
To pursue an accident at work claim, you must prove that:
- You were owed a duty of care by your employer.
- The duty of care was breached.
- You suffered an injury or an illness because of an accident this breach caused.
If you’re able to show your claim meets these three criteria, you could use construction accident solicitors to represent your claim.
Time Limits When Claiming
Workplace accident claims typically have a time limit of three years because of the limitation period established the Limitation Act 1980. This means you have three years to submit the claim, not complete it.
The time limit could start from either:
- When the accident happened.
- Your date of knowledge. This means the date that you learned that someone else’s negligence caused the accident.
However, certain cases might call for an exception. For example, if someone under the age of 18 was injured or if someone who lacked the mental capacity to claim was injured.
Contact us on the number above if you want to know more about time limits for construction accident. A member of our team can discuss your claim and how long you have to submit a case.
What Are Examples Of Construction Site Accidents?
There are many ways that a construction site accident could happen. For example, an employer may have failed to uphold their duty of care causing you to sustain harm. However, it’s important to note that not all accidents on a construction site are caused by employer negligence. Instead, an employee could have failed to comply with the health and safety policies put in place to keep them and their co-workers safe.
However, you would only be able to claim for an injury that came about as the result of a breach of duty of care. Examples of this might include:
- Failure to keep the workspace free from obstruction: A failure to keep the workspace tidy could mean you slip, trip or fall over pieces of equipment that obstructed your path while you’re on a construction site, causing you to break your foot.
- Failure to provide personal protective equipment (PPE): Employers are required to provide relevant PPE where necessary. If your employer fails to provide this where necessary, you could sustain harm. For instance, if you needed a hard hat but were not given one you could be at risk of sustaining a head injury because a falling object struck your head.
- Lack of adequate training: Your employer needs to provide you with sufficient training to enable you to do your job safely, such as training to use specialist or heavy equipment. If your employer fails to provide this training, you could experience certain types of injuries, such as a finger injury or an arm injury, due to using equipment incorrectly.
If you have experienced a similar incident, please get in touch with our team to see if a solicitor from our panel could represent you when making a construction accident injury claim.
Building Evidence For A Strong Compensation Claim
When making a claim, there are various steps you could take. The first step to take after you are hurt in an accident is to seek out medical attention. This can ensure you receive the necessary treatment for your construction site accident injuries. In addition, it could also provide medical reports detailing the treatment and diagnosis you received which could be used as evidence to support your claim.
Other evidence you could gather might include:
- Photographs of your injuries and the site of your accident.
- CCTV footage of what happened.
- Witnesses’ contact details.
- Evidence of your medical treatment and symptoms. You can ask your GP to provide a copy of your medical records.
- A record of your accident in the workplace accident logbook.
Having a solicitor on your side could greatly benefit your claim preparations. They could assist you in understanding more about the evidence you need to obtain and the other steps you may need to take to seek compensation.
Furthermore, construction accident solicitors could arrange for you to attend an independent medical assessment in your local area. The medical assessment can produce a report with details on your injuries, including how severe they are and how much they may be expected to affect you in the future.
Additionally, the report could be used to help when valuing the compensation you could receive for your injuries.
Just call our helpline today if you want some guidance on how to prove a construction injury claim is valid.
How Much Compensation Could Construction Accident Solicitors Get Me?
You may be wondering what compensation you could get when claiming for an accident at work and how a payout value is decided.
The Judicial College produces guideline compensation brackets for various injuries that could be suffered in a construction. Their document, called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can offer those calculating your payout a useful reference point.
Many different factors that affect how much your claim is worth. For instance, the injuries’ severity, the length of time in which you feel symptoms and the effect on your daily life are all important considerations.
We have used JCG figures in the table below. However, it’s important to note that the amount of compensation you do receive could differ. Please note that the first figure was not taken from the JCG but is intended to show you how you could be compensated for more than one injury and related expenses.
| Types of Injuries | How Much? | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries And Financial Costs | Up to £350,000+ | A payment that considers both physical and psychological harm, plus losses like medical fees, missed earnings and domestic care bills. |
| Arm Injuries: Severe | £117,36 to £159,770 | Injuries that are extremely serious and fall short of amputation. |
| Back Injuries: Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 | Cases that involve nerve root damage that are associated with loss of sensation, unsightly scarring and loss of mobility and impaired function to the bladder and bowels. |
| Hand Injuries: Serious | £35,390 to £75,550 | Injuries in this bracket will have reduced hand function to around 50%. |
| Severe Leg Injuries: Serious (iii) | £47,840 to £66,920 | Injuries might include compound or comminuted fractures of a serious nature or joint/ ligament injuries. |
| Ankle Injuries: Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | Injuries that involve an extensive period of treatment. |
| Knee Injuries: Moderate (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 | Injuries in this bracket might involve torn cartilage or dislocation. |
| Neck Injuries: Moderate (ii) | £16,770 to £30,500 | Examples might include cases that involve a soft tissue injury or wrenching type injury that results in stiffness or discomfort, recurring and/or permanent pain. |
| Shoulder Injuries: Serious | £15,580 to £23,430 | Injuries might include a shoulder dislocation and brachial plexus damage affecting the lower part. |
A special damages payment considers the financial expenses that built up because of your injuries. These include both current and future monetary losses, provided that you have evidence. For example, you could provide payslips to show that you missed out on work-related payments during your rehabilitation after an accident in the workplace.
Other forms of financial loss that may be reimbursed under special damages might include:
- Travel costs.
- Childcare fees.
- House modification invoices.
- Medical bills.
For a more detailed look into what your payout may include, call our team for a free valuation of your claim.
Could I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor?
Our advisors are often asked: “Can a construction accident lawyer help me claim?” If you call us and we find you have a valid case, you could have your case taken on by an expert from our panel.
Our panel is made up of specialist personal injury solicitors who can guide you through every step of the claims process.
This help comes with no upfront or ongoing fee for their work because of the Conditional Fee Agreement our panel’s solicitors offer their clients. The deal also means not paying a penny for the work they’ve put in should the claim fail.
However, having a successful claim entitles the solicitor to what is known as a success fee. This is a pre-agreed proportion of your compensation for a work injury that you get. It should be noted, though, that The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013 is a piece of legislation that puts a legal cap on that percentage. Because of this, the clear majority will always be set aside for you.
Ask Us About Construction Accident Solicitors
Would you like to see if a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you manage your claim? Just call today for a free consultation. As well as offering this service, our advisors can answer your questions about claiming and what a construction accident solicitor does.
Just choose one of these routes to get going:
- Start a live chat conversation.
- Call us on 020 8050 2736.
- Fill out our contact form.
Further Information About Construction Accident Solicitors
Here are some additional resources for you to have a look through.
- The Health and Safety Executive has information on health and safety statistics.
- Visit the NHS website for any medical advice.
- See the government website on claiming compensation after an accident or injury.
You can read some of our other claims guides below:
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- Claim compensation if you’ve been injured by a moving object at work.
- Manual handling injury claims.
- How to claim for hand injuries caused by work accidents.
- Seek compensation after sustaining a finger injury at work.
- How to claim compensation for eye injuries at work.
- Forklift accident compensation claims.
- How to claim compensation for a knee injury suffered while working.
- Back injury at work claims.
- Making a fall from a height compensation claim.
- How a solicitor can help with a sprained ankle claim.
- No Win No Fee claims for a concussion suffered while working.
- Guidance on factory accident claims.
- Working with serious injury solicitors to claim.
- A guide to claiming compensation for fatal work accidents.
- Can my employer sack me after an accident at work?
For any further information on construction accident solicitors, please don’t hesitate to contact us on the number at the top of the page.
