Working in the agriculture industry is the most hazardous occupation in Ireland, with the highest fatality incident rates of any profession, and most of these due to a fatal farm accident. A fatal farm accident can result from a variety of causes with the most common, as identified by the Health and Safety Authority, listed below:-
- Transport – Overturning vehicles or struck by moving vehicles
- Asphyxiation – Trapped in machines, feeders and slurry pits
- Falls – Either at ground level or from a collapsing structure
- Machinery – Poorly maintained or inadequate for the job
- Animal Injury – Attacked or crushed by an animal
- Electrocution – Driving beneath overhead wires
Many of these fatal farm accidents could have been prevented with proper risk assessment, training and supervision, and an employer has a legal obligation under legislation in the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Acts to make his farm a safe environment in which to work. Where he fails to protect his employees from the risk of a fatal farm accident, the employer is liable for their death and can be sued for compensation.
Compensation for a Fatal Farm Accident
If you have recently lost a loved one in a fatal farm accident, it is often in your best interests to pursue a claim for compensation with the assistance of a specialist personal injury claims solicitor. Your grief and that of those around you may impair your ability to comprehensively complete an application for compensation, and a solicitor will be able to guide you through both the application procedure and the processes which follow thereafter. A fatal farm accident is an emotionally harrowing experience for everybody involved, and being able to detach from the potential complications of the compensation process may allow you to grieve sooner and avoid further psychological trauma.
Compensation for a fatal farm accident can be influenced by a number of factors. The employment status of the deceased – whether fully employed, contracted or on a short term agency contract – may have a bearing on the assessment by the Injuries Board Ireland, as it will if the deceased´s own actions were contributory to the fatal farm accident. When there is a compensation claim after a fatal farm accident, the employer´s insurance company may often make an offer for early settlement (known as “third party capture”) which is not representative of a fair amount, but in a distressed state may be accepted by a grieving widow.
For these reasons, and many more associated with making a claim for fatal farm accident compensation, we have established a free advice service which you are invited to call if you have lost a loved one in a fatal farm accident. You will be able to discuss your entitlement to claim with a specialist personal injury claims solicitor and receive some practical and helpful advice in respect of getting an adequate amount of compensation. Our legal claims advice helpline is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and each call is treated with complete confidentiality.
What You Can Expect When You Call
We have many years of experience in dealing with workplace injuries, including fatal farm accidents, and we will first express our sympathy for your loss and answer whatever your most pressing issues may be.
We aim within the call to establish whether or not you are entitled to claim fatal farm accident compensation, and will ask you to tell us the circumstances surrounding the accident and the subsequent impact it has made on your life.
If you are aware of where the employer was negligent, or of any measures that could have been taken to prevent the fatal farm accident, we would like to hear them as these will strengthen your claim. We should be able to advise you thereafter how long your claim may take to process and the likelihood of your success.
Should you have any questions, or have received conflicting advice from well-meaning friends, we will be able to clear up any points you have and explain the right procedures in plain English. Once your right to claim is established, we can also talk about “special damages” for loss of income and other out-of-pocket expenses.
We conclude each conversation by offering you a list of options which are tailored to your own personal circumstances. You are under no obligation to act on any of our suggestions and no pressure will be put on you to do so. You may also wish to take several days to consider the information we have given you or discuss it with family and friends.
Your first step should be to make contact with us and see how we can help. If you are not up to calling us right now, please leave your details in our contact box below – indicating when would be a convenient time to call – and one of our dedicated and professional team will get back in touch with you.