No Win, No FeeThousands of people pass through UK airports every day without any problems whatsoever. However, accidents in airports can have a real impact on the rest of your journey. If you’re injured in an airport because of someone else’s negligence, there may be grounds for you to claim damages for your suffering. As such, this article about airport injury compensation claims will review some of the potential scenarios that could allow you to sue an airport or a company based within one.
Our free initial consultation is a great way to find out if you might be entitled to claim compensation. We’ll review everything with you and look at the chances of winning your claim. If they are high enough, one of our personal injury lawyers could be appointed to represent you. If that’s the case, they’ll manage your case on a No Win, No Fee basis making the whole process a lot less stressful.
To talk to us about an airport injury claim right away, please call 0800 652 1345 today. Otherwise, please carry on reading to learn more about your options.
What duty of care do airports have?
Because of the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 airport operators and any businesses based in an airport (shops, restaurants, duty-free outlets etc) must assess the safety of their premises and take steps to try and keep all visitors or customers as safe as possible.
Similarly, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 means that anyone who works in an airport should be kept as safe as possible by their employer.
These pieces of legislation (and others) place a legal duty of care on airports and businesses within airports regarding safety. Failure to uphold that duty could lead to airport injury compensation claims in certain circumstances.
Can I claim compensation for an injury at an airport?
Our panel of personal injury solicitors will always try to help with airport injury claims where there is a realistic chance you’ll receive a compensation payout. As such, before agreeing to work on your behalf, they’ll check whether:
- the defendant in your claim had a legal obligation to ensure your well-being,
- whether the defendant’s negligence led to an airport accident or incident,
- and whether you suffered an illness or injury as a direct consequence.
If your claim does proceed, your solicitor will manage the airport injury claims process on your behalf but you can help by securing proof to show what happened following an airport accident. For this reason, we’ll review what types of proof could be used a little later on in this article.
Common causes of airport injury claims
Effectively, any accident in an airport could allow you to claim compensation for your injuries if they were caused by someone else’s negligence. Some common scenarios that could allow you to claim include:
- Airport vehicle accidents. You could claim for any injuries if you were struck by a cleaning vehicle within an airport that was being driven too fast. Similarly, if you were injured on a hospitality or disability buggy because of a collision, you could also claim for your injuries.
- Slips and fall accidents. If you slipped and hurt yourself in an airport, it may be possible to claim for any subsequent injuries. For example, if you slipped on a floor that had recently been cleaned (and warning signs were not used) or if you tripped over a pile of luggage left at check-in.
- Baggage handling accidents. Injuries can happen when baggage handlers improperly handle luggage, leading to strains, sprains, or crush injuries. If you’ve been injured by a baggage handler you could be entitled to compensation.
- Food poisoning. If you suffer an allergic reaction or are made ill by food poisoning after eating in an airport restaurant, it may be possible to claim for the suffering caused.
- Accidents in an airport shop. If you’re injured in an airport shop, it might be possible to sue the retailer if their negligence caused you to suffer. For example, you might be able to claim if stock fell on you from a high shelf or if you slipped on a spillage in a shop that had not been cleared up quickly enough.
- Lift and travelator accidents. Lifts, escalators and travelators in an airport must be well maintained and function safely. Claims might be possible if you were trapped in a poorly maintained lift or fell and hurt yourself because a travelator stopped without warning.
- Luggage accidents. Passengers or airport workers can suffer injuries from luggage falling off trolleys, falling from overhead bins, or obstructing pathways.
The type of airport injuries you could claim compensation for include lacerations, bruises, broken bones, soft-tissue injuries, scalds, burns, head injuries and back injuries.
This list is by no way conclusive. If your airport accident isn’t listed here, please feel free to let us know and we’ll review your options with you for free.
Can I claim compensation if I’ve been injured working in an airport?
As established earlier, companies that operate airports or are based in airports must try to keep their staff as safe as possible. As such, our solicitors are able to help airport staff claim for injuries at work if their employer’s negligence caused an accident. Some examples of negligence that could allow you to claim include:
- Faulty, damaged or poorly maintained workplace equipment.
- Inadequate safety training.
- Low staff numbers.
- A lack of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Not being allowed proper rest breaks.
Importantly, your employer can not do anything to penalise you for lodging a work injury claim against them. Employment laws mean that if you sue your employer in a personal injury claim, they cannot fire you, discipline you, demote you or pick on you in any way.
To discuss an airport injury compensation claim against your employer, please speak to our team today.
How much compensation for an accident at an airport can I claim?
The amount of compensation you’ll receive if your airport injury claim is successful will be based on:
- General damages to cover any suffering caused by your injuries.
- Special damages to recoup any associated costs.
Each airport injury claim is unique but your solicitor will review your claim with you to see if you might be entitled to claim for:
- Any physical pain, suffering and discomfort.
- Psychiatric trauma (anxiety, depression, distress etc).
- Lost earnings and losses in the future for longer-term injuries.
- Medical expenses including private physiotherapy.
- Any loss of amenity if your injuries affect your normal activities.
- The time a carer spent helping you while you were injured.
- Travel expenses (fuel and parking etc).
- Property replacement costs.
- Mobility aids and home modifications if they’ll improve your quality of life and make it easier to cope with a disability.
As you can see, there’s plenty to think about before you file an airport injury claim. As such, your solicitor will spend some time reviewing your case to try and ensure any settlement covers your suffering fully.
Providing proof for an airport injury claim
There are some steps you can take following an airport accident that could improve your chances of being compensated. While they may not be at the forefront of your mind at the time of the accident, you should consider following the steps listed below as soon as you can:
- Have your injuries treated. Although you might receive first aid within the airport, you should visit A&E or a minor injuries unit to be checked over by a medical professional. If needed, your medical notes can be requested to prove the extent of any injuries.
- Report the accident. You should tell the airport staff about your accident as soon as you can. This will lead to the incident being recorded in an accident report book. You’ll probably receive a copy of the report which can be a good way of proving when and where you were injured.
- Speak to any witnesses. A witness statement could make it easier for your solicitor to prove your version of events following an airport accident. So, ask any witnesses to provide their contact details if they’re happy to give a statement if asked.
- Take photographs. After being injured in an airport, you should take pictures of the accident scene if they’ll make it easier to prove what happened. Ideally, you should do this before the scene is cleared or the cause of the accident is repaired.
- Ask for CCTV footage. Airports usually have an array of security cameras covering all areas. So, you should ask for any relevant footage of your accident to help prove how you were injured.
Also, you could keep a record of any expenses you wish to claim back plus a diary of any events you missed (or days that you couldn’t work) because of your injuries.
Even if you don’t have the proof to support your claim yet, please get in touch. If your claim is accepted, one of our solicitors will work hard to gather any information needed to substantiate your claim.
No Win, No Fee claims
Taking on legal representation to help you with an airport personal injury claim is a good idea in our opinion. Having a specialist injury solicitor on your side should reduce your stress levels during the claims process and could increase your chances of receiving a fair compensation settlement.
The solicitors we have on our panel know that no one wants to lose money on legal fees so they handle all accepted airport injury claims on a No Win, No Fee basis. So that you have this in black and white, you’ll receive a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) to review when you start your claim.
The CFA will explain that the only time you’ll pay a success fee (to cover the solicitor’s time and costs) is if you receive compensation. The success fee will be listed in your contract but legally, when using a CFA to fund your claim, you won’t pay more than 25 per cent of any compensation you receive.
When you’ve signed your CFA, your solicitor’s main goals are to:
- Get to work right away and begin collecting proof.
- Write to the defendant and tell them that you are going to lodge an airport injury claim against them.
- Deal with the defendant’s insurers for you to avoid you being contacted directly.
- Provide documentation and further proof where possible to try to counter any arguments regarding liability for your accident.
- Secure a fair compensation settlement.
Throughout the claims process, your solicitor will keep you informed about how things are progressing. To see if you could be represented by one of our No Win, No Fee solicitors, please contact us today.
Airport injury claim time limits
Legally, all personal injury claims made for accidents in a UK airport have a 3-year time limit. In the majority of cases, this limitation period will start from the day of your accident.
Where a child has suffered a personal injury in an airport, the time limit will not apply until their 18th birthday. That leaves the door open for parents or a responsible adult to claim compensation on behalf of the child at any time before then.
We would usually suggest that it’s a good idea to begin an airport injury claim at your earliest convenience. By doing so, you’ll give your solicitor plenty of time to request the proof needed to show why you should be compensated. Also, if the defendant in your claim has accepted responsibility for the accident, an early start to the claims process could mean they’ll pay for private medical treatment to aid your recovery before the claim has been finalised.
Start an airport injury claim today
We are ready to help if you’d like to begin an airport injury claim or if you have any questions about doing so. By calling us on 0800 652 1345 today, you’ll receive no-obligation legal advice about your chances of receiving a compensation payment.
As well as answering any questions you have, we could partner you with a personal injury solicitor from our panel if your claim appears to be strong enough. Remember that all accepted airport injury claims are managed from start to finish on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a result, you won’t be liable for any legal fees if the claim doesn’t work out in your favour.
For more information on airport injury claims, please get in touch via live chat or by calling our free advice line.
