Were you injured after being hit by heavy boxes in an accident at work? Do you feel the accident could have been prevented if your employer had better safety procedures in place? If so, this guide offers free information on the steps to making a personal injury claim against a negligent employer for compensation.
We begin by explaining the duty of care owed to all employees whilst working and the criteria your claim would need to meet to seek accident at work compensation. After being hit by a falling object at work, you might suffer financial, physical and psychological harm so we discuss the compensation that can address that. We also provide some examples of injuries that might result from being hit by heavy boxes at work.
After this, we explore how a solicitor from our panel could assist you with your compensation claim and guide you through the steps you might have to take as part of the claims process. They could represent your case on a No Win No Fee basis and we explain the benefits of working with a work injury solicitor under these terms.
Please read on, or if you prefer you can discuss your potential claim now. Our advisors offer a free assessment of eligibility and can answer any questions you have when you;
- Call for free on 0800 408 7827
- Contact us to enquire about a claim online.
- Type a message in the live advice box below.
Jump To A Section
- When Can You Claim If You’ve Been Injured By Boxes At Work?
- How To Sue If You Have Been Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work
- When Could Employer Negligence Cause You To Be Hit By Heavy Boxes?
- Calculating Compensation From Workplace Accident Claims
- Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Claim Accident At Work Compensation
- Read More About Claiming For Being Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work
When Can You Claim If You’ve Been Injured By Boxes At Work?
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) states that employers must take reasonable and practicable steps to make sure that employees are prevented from being harmed whilst working.
There are various ways that employers can meet this duty of care. For example, they can carry out regular risk assessments on their premises and reduce or remove any hazards they find pose a risk of injury. Also, they can inspect storage arrangements and oversee how materials like heavy boxes are stacked or moved.
In addition to this, they can ensure all staff receive adequate training and that any necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is supplied. All these measures can help reduce the risk of being hit by heavy boxes at work.
If your employer fails to meet these obligations, you might be in a position to start a compensation claim against them. Firstly, you need to demonstrate that your claim meets the following eligibility criteria:
- At the time and place of the accident, your employer owed you a duty of care.
- Your employer breached this duty of care.
- As a result of this, you suffered physical and/or psychological harm.
Acting together, these three points form the basis of negligence in personal injury claims. To discover if you have a valid claim compensation after being hit by heavy boxes at work, contact one of our advisors today.
How To Sue If You Have Been Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work
After clarifying eligibility, the next step is to assemble as much supporting evidence as you can to show that employer negligence occurred. To help with this, we have listed some actions you can take to build your claim for personal injury compensation:
- Take photos of the hazard that caused the accident as well as any injuries you sustained as a result.
- Request any available CCTV footage showing the accident taking place.
- Gather the contact details of any eyewitnesses. They may be able to provide a supporting statement at a later date.
- Obtain a copy of the incident report from the workplace accident book.
- Get copies of your medical records, scans, X-rays and specialist reports detailing your injuries.
Collecting evidence is a task a solicitor on our panel could help you with, particularly when it comes to gathering witness statements. They have experience handling accident at work claims and can guide you through the different stages of the claims process.
To find out whether you’re eligible to instruct a specialist solicitor from our panel, give the team a call on the number above or connect through the live chat feature below.
When Could Employer Negligence Cause You To Be Hit By Heavy Boxes?
Next, we explore some of the ways that you could be injured by heavy boxes in a workplace accident:
- Your employer failed to properly maintain an overhead conveyor belt which malfunctioned and dropped a heavy box onto a worker. As a result, they suffered serious head injury and neck damage.
- Boxes were incorrectly stacked in a warehouse and toppled over, causing a worker to suffer a badly broken finger at work as well as crush injuries to their legs.
- Despite knowing the employee lacked sufficient training to operate a forklift truck, the employer requested them to do so. As a result, another colleague suffered a broken foot injury when a heavy box was dropped on them in error.
These examples represent just a handful of ways that an injury can result from being hit by heavy boxes at work. To chat about the specifics of your case, please contact our advisors. You can also take advantage of the free eligibility check we offer.
Calculating Compensation From Workplace Accident Claims
There are two heads of loss called general and special damages that can make up a successful compensation settlement. General damages are awarded to compensate you for the physical pain and what you suffered psychologically because of the injury.
The people responsible for calculating general damages will refer to any medical evidence you can provide. They may also consult a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) which lists guideline compensation brackets for a variety of injuries.
In the table below, you’ll see an excerpt from the JCG detailing the sort of injuries that could be sustained after an accident with heavy boxes. Please bear in mind that each claim is decided on its own merits. As such, the amounts shown below are only guidelines and not a reflection of how much compensation you will receive. Also, the first entry comes from an alternative source.
Compensation Guidelines
| Type of Injury | Severity Level | Award Bracket Guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries plus Financial Losses | Severe | Up to £1,000,000 plus | Awards like this represent several severe injuries and the special damages that can be awarded for monetary costs, such as lost income, care costs and adaptations to home or vehicle. |
| Head | (a) Very Severe | £282,010 to £403,990 | Some capacity to follow basic commands remains but little meaningful response to the environment is seen and the person will need full-time professional care. |
| (d) Less Severe | £15,320 to £43,060 | The level of recovery seen is good but the individual may still have ongoing symptoms such as mood disturbance, concentration problems and memory issues. | |
| Arm | (b) Injuries Resulting in Permanent and Substantial Disablement | £39,170 to £59,860 | Cases of serious fractures to one or both forearms that leaves a permanent and significant level of residual disability that can be functional or cosmetic. |
| (c) Less Severe | £19,200 to £39,170 | Despite significant disabilities, a degree of substantial recovery takes place or will be expected to. | |
| Hand | (f) Severe Fracture to the Fingers | Up to £36,740 | Cases that may lead to partial amputations and give rise to deformity, an impaired grip, reduced mechanical function and disturbed sensation. |
| Back | (b) Moderate (ii) | £12,510 to £27,760 | A wide range of injuries fall into this bracket, such as disturbance to ligaments and muscles giving rise to backache. |
| Foot | (f) Moderate | £13,740 to £24,990 | Displaced metatarsal fractures causing permanent deformity and ongoing symptoms. |
Special Damages In Accident At Work Claims
The second head of loss that may be awarded in a successful personal injury claim is special damages. This head compensates you for the monetary loss or expense you incurred due to your injuries.
Special damages payments can often exceed a general damages payments due to the effects of an injury or multiple injuries. For example, you may be unable to return to work permanently or temporarily, or you may require ongoing care costs. Additionally, they can compensate for the future losses incurred as well as those incurred in the past.
To include a claim for special damages, you need to put forward documented evidence showing this financial harm. For example:
- Proof of transport fares, such as train tickets or taxi receipts, to show any travel expenses.
- Receipts for medical costs, such as prescriptions needed for your injury.
- Invoices for modifications needed to your home or vehicle.
- Payslips or bank statements that show a loss of earnings caused by time off work.
Why not take the opportunity to contact our advisors now to see what your claim could be worth? As well as a free valuation, they can answer any questions you might have about special and general damages including how they are calculated.
Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Claim Accident At Work Compensation
You might be interested in starting a claim with a solicitor after being hit by heavy boxes at work but are worried about the expense of instructing a legal representative. If so, we could help by connecting you with an expert No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel to guide you through the personal injury claims process without requiring an upfront or ongoing fee.
Not all solicitors offer their services this way, but the ones on our panel may offer a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This has many advantages for the claimant. For example, no upfront solicitors fees need to be paid for them to start work. Also, you will not be required to pay fees for completed solicitors’ work as the claim moves forward or if the claim does not win.
A success fee will be due to the solicitor if your claim is a success. The amount is deducted directly from your compensation as a percentage but is subject to a legal limit. Because of this cap, you receive the majority of your compensation.
Would you like to find out if the No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel could help you initiate a claim after you were hit by heavy boxes at work? If so, you can get in touch using the contact details below. They can also help if you have any other questions and are just looking for more advice, without an obligation to proceed with our services.
To reach out, you can:
- Call free on 0800 408 7827
- Contact us to enquire about a claim online.
- Type a message in the live advice box below.
Read More About Claiming For Being Hit By Heavy Boxes At Work
Other accident at work claims guides from our website:
- Read how to sue a former employer for an injury.
- This guide focuses on how to sue for a minor injury at work.
- Information on manual handling injury claims and how to pursue compensation.
Some external links to help:
- Information about manual handling from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- This link provides information about employer’s liability insurance that employers must have.
- Guidance on first aid after an incident from the NHS.
If you have any other questions about starting a personal injury claim after being hit by boxes at work, contact our team using the number above.