To begin your contaminated water claim, get in touch with us. We’ll arrange a free initial consultation in which you can tell us about how you came into contact with contaminated water. We’ll advise you on whether you could claim compensation, how much you could claim, and the ways you could fund your claim.
You don’t need to go any further than this initial consultation if you don’t wish to. But if you do choose to pursue your water contamination claim with us, we’ll start by gathering evidence. Evidence we’ll use to support your claim includes:
- Medical records
- Receipts (to prove expenses you’ve incurred through your illness)
- Witness statements
- Expert medical testimony.
Once we’ve collected the evidence, we’ll contact those responsible for the water contamination. If they accept blame for your illness, we’ll be able to settle your claim and will work to get you interim payments. These are payments made before your claim is settled, to help you to pay for ongoing needs.
However, if they deny the contamination was their fault then we’ll have to prove it. This means we may need to begin court proceedings, which may also need to happen if they dispute how much compensation we say you need.
We work to keep claims from going to court, as this helps to keep the process as simple and stress-free as possible for you. But if your claim does proceed to court, we’ll be there for you every step of the way. Many claims are still settled out of court even once trial dates have been set.
We’ll need to know the circumstances around what happened to you and how you have been impacted, before we can let you know how much compensation you may be entitled to.
Contact us to discuss your claim in a free initial consultation. In this, we’ll give you an idea of the amount of compensation you could claim for.
There’s no set amount of compensation awarded in water contamination claims. How much compensation you’ll get is based on factors including:
- The type of water poisoning or contamination you experienced
- The illness you contracted
- Your pain and suffering
- Your long-term health prognosis
- Loss of earnings you’ve incurred through being too ill to work
- Expenses you’ve incurred
- Specialist treatment or equipment you need
- Any modifications you may need making to your home.
When you contact us, you'll speak to one of our friendly team members, who will talk to you about your illness. This initial consultation is free and from there, we'll advise you on the best way to take your claim forward.
Contacting Those Responsible
Firstly we'll help you work out who is responsible for your illness and get in touch with them at an early stage to see if they accept responsibility for what happened.
Gathering Evidence
Our experts will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence and enquiring with other customers who may have been affected. We'll employ medical professionals to find out how your illness impacted your health and recommend the care you'll need in the future in order to make the best recovery possible.
Final Settlement & Compensation Awarded
We'll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if your opponent doesn't accept responsibility or doesn't agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we'll start court proceedings.
Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim needs to be decided at court, we'll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen so you feel as comfortable as possible.
Read more about what happens if your case goes to court.
By making a contaminated water or cryptosporidium compensation claim, you can access funds to help cover expenses and any medical treatment you may need.
Every case is different, so there's no set amount of compensation you'll receive. The amount of compensation you'll get will depend on your circumstances, the severity of your illness and your chances of making a full recovery.
To work out how much compensation you're entitled to, we'll take into account factors such as:
- Expenses - including travel expenses to medical appointments, prescriptions and things that help with daily living.
- Loss of earnings - to cover any time you've had off work and time off you may need in the future. This figure can also cover matters such as not returning to the same role or not being able to return to work.
- Pain and suffering - caused by your illness.
- Further treatments - to pay for any further medical procedures you may need
If you'd like to make a compensation claim, contact us to set up a free initial consultation on 0800 056 4110.
You normally have to make a personal injury claim within three years of your illness so you should contact us as soon as possible. Getting in touch with us shortly after your illness makes collecting evidence easier and helps get you the compensation you need as soon as possible. It can also help us find other people who have contracted an illness from the same place and file a stronger group claim.
There are some exceptions to the three year time limit, including:
- International claims - time limits in other countries may be shorter, so you should contact us as soon as possible to find out if you could claim.
- Claims on behalf of children - these can be made at any point before their 18th birthday. When the child reaches 18, they can make their own claim at any stage up until they turn 21.
- Mental capacity - there are no time limits to make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the ability to handle their own case.
- Fatal claims - some illnesses can be fatal in people with underlying illnesses, people with weakened immune systems and other vulnerable individuals. To make a claim on behalf of your loved one, you'll have three years from the date they died to make a claim.
If you would like to make a personal injury claim, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible so we can start work on your case. Call us today on 0800 056 4110 for a free initial consultation to discuss your situation.
Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there's no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.
At the start of your case we'll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be better options to fund your claim. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household insurance policies, so it's always worth checking whether you're already covered.
If we think you're best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we'll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You'll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful - your opponent will pay most of our fees.
Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.
We can handle most contaminated water claims on a no win no fee basis. There are several ways to fund your claim, and we’ll make sure you’re aware of all options.
Most people find no win no fee the most beneficial as there are no upfront fees and nothing to pay if your claim doesn’t succeed. If your claim is successful, your opponent will pay most of our fees.
However, you’ll need a suitable insurance policy if you wish to make a no win no fee claim. We can take out After The Event (ATE) insurance if you don’t already have an appropriate policy. This will protect you from incurring any costs.
In the UK, you’ve three years to start your claim. This starts either from the date you came into contact with contaminated water, or the date you learnt your illness was caused by water contamination.
There are some exceptions to this three-year limit:
- Children under 18 are exempt from this limit until their 18th birthday. If they choose to make their own claim after this date, they’ve until their 21st birthday to begin the process.
- People who lack mental capacity to make their own claim are exempt from the time limit.
The time limits can be shorter in foreign countries. If you became ill through exposure to contaminated water abroad, you may have less than three years to start your claim.
Whatever your situation, we urge you to start making your claim as soon as possible. This is because the details will be fresher in your mind and the evidence will be more readily available.
Our personal injury experts are based across the country so are never too far away from you. We'll always take the time to get to know you and will make sure we understand what happened in your illness and the effect it's had on your life.
Your lawyer will run your case as efficiently as possible and will start investigating your claim as soon as possible. We always provide clear advice on what's happening and can advise you on a number of issues including financial planning and state benefit entitlement.
Our lawyers are highly ranked in leading legal guides the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
In 2022, the Legal 500 described us as "a market leader in claimant personal injury work. IM stands out within the field for the specialism within its teams and the excellence of its lawyers throughout."
Chambers & Partners (2022) said: “Irwin Mitchell is truly standout in this area, with quality and depth right across the board."
We're also proud to have won the Claimant Solicitor of the Year prize at the Rehabilitation First Awards on seven different occasions. This award recognises our key focus on rehabilitation, making sure that our clients can access the care and support they need.
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