Are upper leg injury compensation claims possible? I was recently injured after I slipped on a wet floor in the office which had been cleaned, but my employer says that contributory negligence will affect my compensation. Is this correct?
Eligibility to make upper leg injury compensation claims will depend upon which party is liable for your accident and injuries, and if contributory negligence is a factor this may result in a reduction in the compensation you can claim. To determine whether contributory negligence is a factor in your claim the specific circumstances of your accident must be known, which you are advised to discuss with a personal injury* solicitor.
Liability for upper leg injury compensation claims may lie with your employer if the necessary health and safety measures were not taken in the workplace, and your employer failed in their duty to provide a safe environment in which to work. This may be the scenario if the cleaning had taken place but safety signs were not clearly visible. In order to comply with safety regulations, these signs must be placed where they can be clearly noticed so that others can be aware of the hazard and to reduce the likelihood of an accident occurring. Your employer is responsible for ensuring that the cleaning staff performs their duty properly, and should they fail to do so your employer will be held liable for any accident and injury that may occur.
However your eligibility to make upper leg injury compensation claims can be affected by contributory negligence, which can in turn affect the compensation to which you may be entitled. This may happen if warning signs were clearly placed around the hazard in question but you failed to notice them or ignored them entirely. This would be seen as liability on your own behalf for causing the accident, and as a result you may not be eligible to receive compensation. There is also the possibility that you did not seek immediate attention from a medical professional following your accident, which may have resulted in your injuries becoming worse. It is important to remember that receiving first aid at the scene of the accident is not enough, and a visit to your nearest hospital or to your family GP should be made immediately. If this did not occur, you may have your compensation reduced to reflect your own lack of care.
In order to determine liability for your accident, you are strongly advised to consult a personal injury* solicitor in order to establish whether contributory negligence will impact your compensation. With a solicitor you can discuss the specific details of your accident and establish whether you are eligible to make upper leg injury compensation claims.