Your daily life is filled with tasks and chores that you need to complete on a regular basis. One of these chores is going to the local store or your shopping district to pick up groceries or to buy the things you need for activities. Unfortunately, personal injuries can happen at any time and in any place. You never intended to get hurt. Instead, you were hurt due to someone else’s negligence. If this has happened to you, then you may have suffered from minor injuries, or potentially something more severe, like a brain injury. Either way, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
The last year has been difficult, mostly due to the pandemic, to the point where you may have been avoiding shops altogether. However, as life has somewhat returned to normal, you may have felt more confident about going out again. It’s important that you remain careful when you visit any store. That way you can remain safe and enjoy the time you spend outside. Should you get hurt due to personal injuries, Gowing Law Solicitors can help you get started with your personal injuries claim.
To find out more about how you can get started on your case, all you have to do is call our law firm at 0800 041 8350 or use the button below to get started:
What do I need to know about personal injuries and personal injury claims?
When pursuing a personal injury claim, it’s important to understand what exactly you are claiming for. A personal injury claim occurs when you have been hurt in a public environment due to someone else’s negligence. To have a valid claim, you will have to be able to prove that the person was responsible for your injuries and ultimately owed you a “duty of care.” In other words, they were responsible for your safety when you went into the environment in the first place. If you can prove that they acted negligently and you were hurt as result of it, they are liable for your damages.
There are many different types of personal injury claims that you can make. These include:
If you have suffered due to a personal injury, it’s important that you stay as calm as you can in the situation. You should alert a staff member of the environment, or a passer-by that you have been injured. That way if you need someone to call an ambulance on your behalf then they can. A staff member may also know first aid and help you until trained medical professionals can arrive on the scene. If you are in a shop or work-place, you should also ask for the injury to be logged in the accident work book.
From there, you should look to collect evidence for your claim that can help you prove that you were hurt due to someone else’s negligence. The following evidence can be used when you reach out to your solicitor to begin your case:
Personal Injuries: How could I get hurt in a shop?
When you go out shopping, the last thing on your mind is going to be how you could get hurt due to a personal injury. As we are still trying to keep safe from Covid-19, there are going to be systems in place to help keep you at a distance from other people. With that said, if you go into a store, the manager/owner of the store will need to do all they can to ensure your safety. This is known as their “duty of care.” Unfortunately, the owner of the shop cannot protect you from everything. However, they can do their best to keep the environment as tidy and clean as possible. If you end up getting hurt in a shop, it is the responsibility of the owner or manager to ensure you are compensated for your damages.
Some of the most common accidents to occur in a shop include:
As you can see, there are a variety of ways that you could be injured in a shop. Of course, there are other ways you could get hurt, but what joins all of these different injuries together is the fact that they only occur if an act of negligence occurs. Unfortunately, if you were responsible for your own accident, you will not be able to claim for compensation. However, if you can prove that there was a reason behind your accident, and it was through no fault of your own that you got hurt, you could claim compensation.
What counts as an act of negligence in a shop?
When you enter a store, you expect to be kept safe when you are shopping. However, there are times where you may end up suffering from the negligence of a store owner or your employer because of the state of the shop or the actions of the employees/workers. Some examples of negligence include:
- Messy environments
- Untrained staff
- Slippy surfaces
- Hit by falling objects
- Exposed wiring
- Aggressive clients starting fights
- Lack of safety procedure (i.e. fire escapes)
- Lack of security
If you have suffered due to this negligence, you will need to get started on your personal injury claim as soon as possible. You will have a clear claim that can prove that your injuries were due to someone else. Whether this is a worker, shop owner or customer, the overall responsibility will fall to the owner of the environment to pay for your compensation.
How could I have been hurt in a shop?
The severity of your injury will determine the amount of compensation that you could be owed. These injuries fall into two categories. These categories are “general damages”, for your physical injuries and “special damages”. Special damages tend to be a bit more complicated because they will focus on your emotional damages, financial damages, loss of opportunity and destruction of belongings. You can claim for this back through compensation, as well as ask for second hand replacements for any damaged property. Keep in mind that to make a claim for your damaged belongings, they will have to be replaced with second-hand items.
Physical damages that can occur in a shop include:
- Bruising and bleeding
- Broken Bones
- Torn ligaments
- Sprained muscles
- Spinal Damage
- Organ damage
- Head injuries
- Loss of limb
- Loss of hearing, sight or teeth
It is important that you speak to your solicitor about the physical damages and special damages that you suffer from. That way your solicitor will be able to form a calculation about how much you could be owed in compensation. This estimate can also be used to form your settlement agreement if you are happy to move forward with your claim.
Work Injuries and Shop Accidents
Don’t forget that personal injuries can also happen to shop workers. This will change the case to a work accident claim. Your manager has a responsibility to ensure your safety whilst you are working at the shop. This includes providing you training, allowing you to have regular breaks, ensuring that you do not do tasks that you are not prepared for and also making sure you are protected against aggressive or violent customers. If they fail to do this, you are a victim of negligence. Therefore, you could claim compensation for your injuries.
Additional problems could come from the lack of protective clothing that you use whilst working in the store. In some instances, as an employee, you may be asked to handle machinery. If you have not been taught how to use certain machines, or have the right gear to keep you safe, you could end up getting hurt. Make sure to collect evidence of your injuries or any malpractice in your workplace. Your employer cannot fire you for making a work accident claim for your personal injuries. The only way you could be dismissed is if you were the one responsible for your accident. This includes if you ended up breaking some of the items in the workplace.
You can go to Gowing Law Solicitors to seek advice about how you can proceed with your work accident claim. Your solicitor will treat it as a personal injury claim and will be able to help you make an estimate of your settlement agreement. They can also speak to your employer on your behalf to ensure that they, and their insurer, understands how much you could be owed as compensation. That way you can relax and wait for your compensation to be in your bank account.
Can I make a personal injury claim on behalf of someone else?
Yes, you can make a claim on someone else’s behalf if they are the victim of personal injuries. In some cases, the injuries may have been fatal. Therefore, you will have no choice but to speak on behalf of the loved one you have that has passed away. Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we understand that this will be a very difficult time for you. That’s why we will be there to support you through the claims process. You can also make a claim on behalf of someone who is vulnerable. This includes an older person or your child. It can also be someone who does not have the mental capacity to handle the claim.
To make a personal injuries claim on behalf of someone else, you will need to prove that you are connected to them. For instance, you could prove that you are a family member, a spouse or carer. Once you have done that, you will be able to make decisions on the injured person’s behalf. Your solicitor will then discuss the case with you. They will also ensure that you are fully prepared for the discussions about a future settlement agreement.
Start your personal injury claim with Gowing Law Solicitors today!
Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we understand that suffering from any type of personal injuries can be extremely traumatic, especially if it happens during your regular routine. It may leave you feeling out of place and scared of what will happen if you do a routine visit to the area you were hurt.
Our solicitors can help you start on your compensation claim. This includes being able to sort out all of the tricky paperwork that could potentially invalidate your claim if you did it on your own. We can offer free advice and consultations to get you started. If you are happy to move forward with your claim, our team of specialists can work with you on a “no win-no fee” basis. That means you will never have to pay any hidden fees. Instead, you will only need to pay your solicitor if they win your case. Therefore, you will always come out on top!
Contact Gowing Law Solicitors today to get started on your case. Call us on 0800 041 8350, email us at info@gowinglaw.co.uk or use our claim’s checker. One of our specialists will then be in contact to answer any additional questions you may have.
Learn more about personal injuries
Don’t forget that if you want to learn more about personal injury claims, you should take a look at Gowing Law’s blog page. We update it every week with brand new content for you to enjoy. This includes topics about UK legal claims, seasonal events, updates about our law firm and the occasional giveaway/competition. You can even suggest blog topics for us by writing into info@gowinglaw.co.uk. Make sure to also subscribe to our newsletter below. That way you can keep updated about what type of claims we can help you with:
Gowing Law Solicitors also has a range of social media platforms. You can follow them to see what we have been up to! It is also where we upload our video content. These videos help our clients understand everything they need to know about making a claim. Click on the buttons below to visit our Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
We look forward to seeing you in our next blog and helping you with your personal injury claim.
