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  • Falling Object Claims

Falling Object At Work Claims

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Being hit by a falling object can result in serious injury or even death, yet these kinds of serious accidents happen all too often.

Your employer has a legal responsibility to reduce the risk of injury. This means they should protect you from the danger of falling objects at work. If you or a loved one were injured because your employer failed in their duty of care, then you could make a compensation claim.

Falling object injuries happen in all sorts of workplaces and for varying reasons including:

  • Items not being stacked properly in warehouses
  • Safety netting not being in place on scaffolding at construction sites
  • Buildings themselves being at risk of collapse
  • Faults with machinery which causes parts to tear off

If you have been injured in a public place rather than in the work place, our public accident team will also be able to help out.

If it’s not clear what caused the accident, our expert team can visit the site to carry out an investigation. In cases where the accident was caused by faulty machinery, we can even get the help of expert engineers to work out what happened.

We’ve represented thousands of people in workplace accident claims, so we understand how an injury can affect your life. We won’t just help you claim compensation, but also make sure you have access to any rehabilitation, physiotherapy and other medical support that you might need.

The majority of the claims we handle are on a No Win No Fee basis, which means there's nothing to pay upfront and that you won’t have to pay any legal fees if your claim isn’t successful*.

For a free consultation about your claim, please call us on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.

No Win No Fee*
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Falling object claims - more information

After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss how you might have been injured by something falling on you while at work, and whether you have a legal claim. We’ll discuss what funding options are available to you to pay for your claim, including No Win No Fee agreements*.

We’ll can get in touch with your employer at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for the item that fell on you while at work. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments which can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses, before your claim fully settles. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.

Each case is different. Depending on where and how you were injured you might be entitled to different amounts of compensation. A head or spine injury for example, can be a lot more serious than cuts and grazes. However our experts will advise on the best course of action for you.

Falling objects, especially those in a work environment, can be very dangerous. Objects falling on construction sites or in factories can be very heavy and cause a lot of damage. Unfortunately it may be that the object has caused such serious damage that the injury can be life threatening or even fatal. 

We understand what a traumatic experience losing a loved one in a workplace accident is, having helped many families in similar situations. If someone close to you has died, our lawyers can help you with:

  • Recovering compensation for their pain and suffering, to account for financial losses caused by their death and to cover funeral expenses.
  • Representing you at inquest
  • Getting you the answers and apology you deserve from those responsible
  • Ensuring that the workplace is made safe for others in the future.

Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award, which is separate to a claim for compensation and recognises the fact that your loved one died wrongfully. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.

Your employer has a duty of care to ensure your safety while you are at work, whether working at height or at risk from falling objects. There is a hierarchy of controls that should be used to help prevent injuries at work:

  • Elimination - by physically removing the hazard such as changing the work process (working at height, working underneath others, using heavy or sharp tools) this means the risk of a falling object is eliminated altogether
  • Substitution - is it possible to replace the hazard, for example using a stable working platform or having overhead netting
  • Engineering controls - identify the risks and isolate workers from the hazard by preventing others working overhead or changes shifts so work is carried out in different areas at a time
  • Administrative controls - can you change the way workers perform their role.

Your employer should provide you with suitable PPE such as hard hats and other equipment to shield the face, neck, scalp and shoulders. Around 84% of all head injuries at work are due to employees not wearing a hard hat. Ensure you are wearing the correct class of hard hat for the activity you are engaged in.

There are 4 common signs that someone has experienced a brain injury, look out for your colleagues if they are showing any of the following signs:

  • Irritability
  • Aggression
  • Posturing
  • Amnesia.
client quote looking out to sea

I will always hold Irwin Mitchell in the highest of regard. Best decision I ever made to choose them. Thank you."

Stuart, client

Client Story - Rene

Falling Object Claim Falling Object

We acted for the family of a construction worker, Rene Tkacik, killed in central London after a tonne of wet concrete fell on him as he worked in a tunnel for the Crossrail project.

There was no physical barrier to mark an exclusion zone to protect workers from entering into a dangerous area at the time of Rene’s death. We secured his family an undisclosed out-of-court settlement despite BFK, a contractor used on the Crossrail project, denying liability for the incident.

Sign

"The inquest heard that had a safe system of work been implemented then this accident may never have happened and it clearly illustrates the importance of safety precautions in the workplace.” - Chani Dhaliwal, solicitor

Tunnel

“Nothing can turn back the clock and bring Rene back but the settlement following his death will ensure Ester can go to university so she can have a bright future. It’s what he would have wanted more than anything and he worked so hard for his family.” - Renata Tkacikova, Rene’s widow

Read More Client Stories

Frequently asked questions

What constitutes employer negligence?

Employers are held responsible for their workers’ safety by legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Working at Height Regulations 2005.

This means that they must do as much as reasonably possible to protect employees and the general public from dangers like falling objects.

The most common sources of employer negligence when it comes to falling objects often involve:

  • Inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as helmets
  • A lack of employee training
  • A failure to secure unstable loads
  • Careless behaviour by other employees

Our workplace accident solicitors have years of experience holding employers to account for mistakes, so you can count on us to help you make a compensation claim. Consulting independent workplace safety experts, we’ll work out why your accident happened and how it should have been prevented.

If you have any questions about your case, please phone 0800 056 4110 for a free initial consultation with one of our legal advisers.

How can Irwin Mitchell help?

We understand the impact that injuries caused by falling objects can have on your life. We’ve secured compensation for many people who have suffered as a result of a falling item, with injuries including:

  • Brain damage
  • Concussion
  • Internal injuries
  • Spinal injuries
  • Various fractures

There are also psychological effects associated with being hit by a falling object – you may develop PTSD or depression if you’ve had a head injury for instance.

Whatever the nature of your injuries, we’ll make sure that their consequences are taken into account by your compensation. We believe in the importance of rehabilitation and helping you achieve independence.

What can compensation pay for?

Compensation plays a vital role in helping you get your life back on track after a workplace accident. Some of the things compensation can be pay for include:

  • House adaptations
  • Loss of earnings
  • Physiotherapy
  • Private health treatment
  • Counselling/cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help deal with the psychological effects of your injury

If your injuries have left you in immediate financial difficulties or in need of urgent medical treatment, we may be able to access an early (interim) compensation payment to support you until your claim’s finished.

As one of the largest personal injury teams in the UK, with specialists in workplace injury claims, you can rely on us to help you to claim compensation and ensure that you receive the medical support that you need. If you would like to talk to us about making a claim, call us free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.

Read More FAQs

Related information - falling object claims

Employment Our employment lawyers could help you defend your rights at work
Defective work equipment claims Our team can help if you’ve been injured by faulty equipment
Great Adaptations Find out how home adaptations can improve your independence after a serious injury
Warehouse accident claims We’ve represented many workers who have been injured in a warehouse

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

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