No Win, No FeeSome might say that hair damage is one of the more minor injuries that could lead to a personal injury claim. However, such damage can result in physical pain and suffering as well as emotional distress. Whether you’ve suffered short-term, long-term or even permanent hair damage, if it was caused by the negligence of the hairdresser, you may be entitled to claim hair damage compensation.
To help you understand your legal options, our no-obligation consultation is where you can ask a specialist for free legal advice about how to proceed. If a personal injury solicitor from our panel believes you should be compensated, they’ll offer to manage your claim on a No Win, No Fee basis. That means you’ll get legal representation but only pay for it if you receive a compensation payout.
Please read on for more about hair damage compensation claims or call 0800 652 1345 to talk to a specialist right away.
Types of hair damage you could claim compensation for
It may be possible to seek hair damage compensation if it’s resulted from an accident or incident caused by someone else including:
- Hair loss and bald patches.
- Permanent damage to hair follicles.
- Scalp dermatitis.
- Hair that becomes brittle and breaks easily.
- Thinning of the hair.
- Burnt hair or burnt scalp injuries.
- Itchiness, tingling or irritation of the scalp.
- Psychological injuries including embarrassment.
While you can simply make a complaint about any of these issues if they were caused by a hairdresser, that’s not the best route to claim compensation. It is usually better to make a personal injury claim with a specialist solicitor so that all aspects of your suffering can be assessed and compensated for if the claim is successful.
Can I claim compensation for damaged hair?
There are a few different ways in which hair damage could lead to a personal injury claim. We’ll review these as we continue through this guide. In general terms, you could be entitled to claim compensation if:
- The hairdresser or person you’re claiming against owed you a duty of care; and
- They were negligent in some way; and
- You suffered damage to your hair as a direct consequence of that negligence.
As such, if someone else was to blame, you could claim compensation for hair damage. However, you and your solicitor will need to present as strong a case as possible to convince the defendant’s insurers to pay out. We’ll look at the sorts of proof that could help with hair damage claims a little later in this guide.
Common causes of damaged hair
We’re now going to spend a bit of time reviewing the types of accidents and incidents that could mean you’re entitled to compensation for hair damage. Even if we don’t describe how your hair was damaged, please feel free to contact us for a free review of your options.
My hairdresser damaged my hair
Hairdressers and barbers receive many months or years of training before they are qualified and don’t usually make mistakes. However, on occasion, a negligent hairdresser can be to blame for hair damage. Some examples of hairdresser negligence might include:
- Failing to maintain a hairdryer properly.
- Leaving a dye or bleach in the hair for too long.
- Using chemicals that were too strong.
- Allowing an apprentice to carry out procedures that they hadn’t been properly trained in.
- Failing to perform a patch test before treatment to rule out the risk of an allergic reaction to hair dye chemicals.
Most hair salons will have liability insurance to cover them for any personal injury claims raised against them. So, if there was any certificate of insurance on display in the salon, it could help to take a picture of it if you get the opportunity to do so.
Hair damaged in an accident at work
Your employer has a duty of care to take preventative steps to try and stop you from being injured at work. As such, you could claim compensation for any negligence that led to an accident at work. For example, if your hair was torn out after it got tangled in a machine because your employer failed to repair a safety shield.
Hair damage from a road traffic accident
When a road traffic accident occurs, there are plenty of ways in which hair can be trapped or tangled in moving parts. This can be extremely dangerous and cause a lot of pain and suffering if your hair is pulled out. Hair can also be burned by hot oil or other liquids that leak following a collision.
Hair was pulled out during a criminal assault
If you were attacked without provocation and your hair was pulled out during the assault, you may be entitled to claim compensation. This wouldn’t necessarily involve a personal injury claim though. Instead, you might be able to request compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
So long as you reported the crime to the police, you may be entitled to claim damages. That could even be the case if the criminal was never caught or charged by the police. Our solicitors can help with criminal injury claims so please feel free to call and discuss your options.
Again, whatever form of hair damage you’ve suffered, please let us know. There’s no obligation to make a claim if you call but we will review your case and explain the options available to you.
How much compensation do you get for damaged hair?
All personal injury claims are unique. As such, it’s not possible to tell you exactly how much compensation is paid for hair damage. Firstly, you’ll need a medical assessment by an independent specialist to assess the extent of any physical symptoms. They’ll also find out from you the impact the loss of hair or damaged hair has had on you psychologically (embarrassment, distress, depression etc).
In addition to any physical or psychological suffering, hair damage compensation could be paid in relation to:
- Medical treatment costs.
- Loss of earnings (short and long-term).
- Travel expenses eg those linked to medical appointments.
- Loss of amenity if you couldn’t enjoy your normal activities while injured.
- The time someone cared for you while you were recovering.
Assessing the extent of your suffering from your damaged hair is important because you can’t make more than one claim for the same incident once it’s settled. As such, your solicitor will want to find out as much as possible by discussing your case with you in detail before submitting your claim.
Providing proof for hair damage compensation claims
The more proof to show a) how your hair became damaged, b) who was to blame and c) the extent of your injuries the better. That’s because, without the right evidence, the defendant’s insurance provider is unlikely to compensate you. If your solicitor accepts your claim, they’ll try to gather the proof needed to improve your chances of winning your claim. You could help with this by providing:
- Photographic proof. Photos are a good way of showing the damage to your hair. It’s a good idea to take pictures periodically (with time stamps if possible) to demonstrate how long you were affected.
- Witness information. If anyone else was present when your hair was damaged and is willing to provide a statement of what happened, ask for their details to be provided to your solicitor.
- Camera footage. If the accident or incident in which your hair was damaged was recorded by a CCTV camera or similar, you could ask for a copy of the footage. Bear in mind, though, that data is often deleted in around 28 days so you should act quickly.
- Medical proof. You can ask your GP or the hospital where you were treated for copies of any medical notes if you sought medical advice about your injuries.
- Communications. If you made a complaint after your hair was damaged, you could send your solicitor copies of any text messages, letters or emails received in response. These could help clarify what went wrong.
- Financial records. Keep track of any costs you incur as a result of your hair damage as you may be able to claim them back.
Any proof you have already could speed up the claims process so please tell us about it when you call.
Hair damage compensation claim time limits
There are two different time limits that will generally apply to hair damage compensation claims:
- For personal injury claims, the Limitation Act 1980 states there is a 3-year time limit from the date you were injured.
- For criminal injury claims, the CICA rules that you must begin your claim within 2 years of the incident.
If your child’s hair was damaged, there’s no immediate time limit for claiming. Their limitation period is 3 years from the date of their 18th birthday leaving it possible for you to lodge a claim on their behalf before then.
If you leave your claim for too long, there might not be enough time for your solicitor to find proof and consult with third parties about the extent of your injuries. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to get in touch as soon as possible to try and avoid missing out on any compensation you might be due.
No Win, No Fee claims
In our experience, it’s a good idea to take on legal representation when starting a personal injury claim. A specialist solicitor can make all the difference and their legal training can increase the chances of you receiving a fair compensation payout.
However, we know that many people worry about legal costs when hiring a personal injury solicitor. For that reason, all hair damage claims that are taken on by solicitors on our panel are dealt with on a No Win, No Fee basis.
That means that:
- At no point will you be asked to pay legal fees upfront.
- If the claim fails, you don’t need to pay your solicitor’s legal fees or costs.
- If your claim is won, your solicitor’s fees will be paid for by a deduction from your compensation (a success fee).
Legally, your success fee can’t be higher than 25 per cent of any damages received when using a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) to fund your case. This is the type of contract your solicitor will ask you to sign before starting work on your hair damage claim. This will include:
- Collecting proof and medical reports.
- Communicating on your behalf with the defendant, their lawyers or their insurers.
- Fighting your corner if there is any argument about liability for your hair damage.
- Keeping you up to date with regular updates.
- Trying to secure the highest possible level of hair damage compensation possible.
To see if a No Win, No Fee solicitor from our panel could help you claim compensation, please contact us today.
Start a hair damage compensation claim today
The simplest way to start a hair damage compensation claim today is to call one of our specialist advisors on 0800 652 1345.
During your free consultation, an advisor from our team will review what happened and provide free legal advice. We could even partner you with a personal injury lawyer from our panel who’ll work on a No Win, No Fee basis if your claim goes ahead.
So, please use live chat to connect with us if you have any further questions about hair damage compensation claims, or claim your free consultation here.
