Five Injuries For Which You Can Claim Compensation

Compensation is an obvious solution to some types of accident, such as a car crash. However, there are other injuries that you may be surprised to hear can also attract an award

Injury on holiday

If you are injured whilst on a package holiday that was booked through a UK company, then you are eligible to claim compensation using the UK's legal system, as opposed to trying to fight legal battles in the country in which your accident occurred.

You can even claim compensation if you are injured mid-journey. The term 'package holiday' is open to scrutiny, but generally if you book two or more elements of the holiday (flights/accommodation/activities) at the same time then you will probably qualify.

Injured by accommodation in disrepair

If you are not a homeowner, then wherever you live is the responsibility of a landlord, whether that is a person, a company or a council. It is their legal responsibility to ensure you have a safe living environment. If the fail to do so, and you are hurt because of a fault with the accommodation itself, you could be eligible to make a claim.

Injury on public transport

The driver of any public service vehicle ie a bus, taxi or train has a duty of care towards their passengers. If you become injured thanks to a machinery defect or the negligence of a driver or even another passenger (in rare cases) then you should be able to make a compensation claim from the operator of the service.

Remember, however, that you can only claim if you are not at fault. So, for example, if you are travelling on a bus on which you are obliged to wear a seatbelt, and you're hurt in a crash because you weren't strapped into your seat, any potential award could be reduced.

Injured due to defective product

Even when a product's warranty has long since expired, the manufacturer has a responsibility for their product. A product may eventually break down or stop working effectively as it ages, but it should never become dangerous. Regardless of the nature or size of the product: a boat or a hairdryer, a television or an electric toothbrush, if it injures you then you can make a claim from the manufacturer.

This rule does not apply if the fault was introduced by a third party tampering with the product, or if the fault is due to someone damaging it so that it could not reasonably be expected to work as it did before.

Injured by an untraced driver

In the event of a normal car crash, if a person is injured they make a claim from the insurance company of the driver whose negligence caused the accident. If a driver is uninsured, or if they simply drive off and cannot be traced, it is still possible for their victim to claim compensation.

The government-run Motor Insurers' Bureau exists to compensate motorists who are injured by uninsured drivers but cannot, obviously, claim anything from them.