Can I Make A Fall From A Height Claim?

This guide can provide more information about making a fall from a height claim. It will highlight the types of accidents you may be able to claim for, provide advice on necessary requirements when claiming for fall from height injuries. We will also explain the benefits of using a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel to work on your claim. 

fall from a height claim

Fall from a height claim guide

Furthermore, you can call our advisors completely for free at any time that works for you. They’re available 24/7 and can offer you free legal advice about whether you have a valid claim. Additionally, they can connect you with a quality personal injury solicitor from our panel who could work your case on a No Win No Fee basis. 

Please remember that you’re under no obligation to claim through us if you use the below details. You can contact us at a time that suits you. 

  • Call us at the above phone number. 
  • Claim online through our website. 
  • Write to us using the Live Chat window. 

Read on to learn how you could receive compensation by making a fall from a height claim. 

Select A Section:

  1. What Is A Fall From A Height Claim?
  2. How To Prove A Personal Injury Claim
  3. What Accidents Could Lead To A Fall From A Height Claim?
  4. Collecting Evidence For Your Accident Claim
  5. Calculating Compensation For A Fall From A Height Claim
  6. Could I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor For My Injury Claim?

What Is A Fall From A Height Claim?

The potential consequences of a fall from height can greatly affect your quality of life. The injuries can range from minor soft tissue injuries or a sprain to serious fractures and head injuries.

This guide will explain under what circumstances you may be able to claim compensation and provide you with an idea of what you could receive without needing to use a fall from height calculator. We will also look at some statistics related to these kinds of accidents. 

You might be wondering what kind of evidence you could provide to support your claim. We will provide some examples of the things you could do to support your fall from a height claim.

Finally, we will examine what No Win No Fee agreements and how they can benefit claimants. Finally, we will provide you with some resources that you might find helpful after reading this guide.

Fall From A Height Statistics

fall from a height claim statistics graph

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance about preventing work-related injuries in Great Britain. Part of doing this involves them highlighting fall from height injury statistics

Above is a selected amount of non-fatal injury causes of a workplace accident. As you can see, 4,143 incidents were caused by falls from a height, while 16,698 incidents were caused by slips, trips and falls on the same level. Furthermore, 9,314 were manual handling injuries involving the injured person handling, carrying or lifting an object.

While these accident at work statistics indicate how frequently these types of injuries occur, we don’t have information about many of them happen because of negligence and so could form the basis of a successful personal injury claim. The next section will highlight when you may be able to claim for incidents such as this. 

How To Prove A Personal Injury Claim

In order to make a successful personal injury claim, you will need to prove that third-party negligence was the primary cause of your injury. Certain third parties, such as employers, have a duty of care they need to abide by. 

They need to ensure your safety while at work. The employers’ duty of care in Great Britain is outlined in The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. 

Therefore, if your accident at work resulted from employer negligence, you may be able to claim. However, this isn’t the only type of incident you may be able to claim for.

Every occupier of a public place also has a duty of care towards those who use the space for the intended purpose. In Great Britain, their obligations are detailed within the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957

The three points of criteria for claiming successfully for a fall from height accident involve:

  1. Showing that the third party had a duty of care. 
  2. Proving that their actions breached this duty of care. 
  3. Finally, highlighting that these actions directly resulted in your injury. 

Our team of advisors can offer you free legal advice about the process of making a claim of this nature. Speak with a member of our team today for further guidance.

Is there a time limit to make a personal injury claim? 

In most cases, you need to start a claim within three years of the injury or three years from the date you became aware that the injury was caused by negligence. In England and Wales, this time limit is established in The Limitation Act 1980

However, there are exceptions to this. If you’re claiming for an incident you experienced as a child, you have three years from the date of your eighteenth birthday to claim. A litigation friend can act on your behalf to claim while you’re still underage. 

Additionally, if a loved one lacks the mental capacity to claim, there is no time limit to begin the claim. You can also claim on their behalf by being appointed their litigation friend. If the injured person regains their mental capacity, then the 3-year time limit begins; otherwise, it’s subject to an indefinite suspension. 

What Accidents Could Lead To A Fall From A Height Claim?

This section will provide examples of negligence that could lead to a potential fall from a height claim. This could give you a better understanding of your situation.

There are numerous potential issues that could lead you to fall from a roof, platform or somewhere else from a height while at work. It’s important to remember that you need to prove that your injury was caused by third-party negligence to claim successfully. 

Accidents that could happen in the workplace as a result of negligence include:

  • Falling from a ladder. It’s part of the responsibility of your employer to ensure that you’ve got safe equipment that you can use to carry out your role. If you were given a ladder that had not been inspected and you fell from it as a result, you may be able to claim.
  • Falling from scaffolding. Your employer should provide you with the PPE you need to carry out your role safely. If, for example, they failed to supply you with non-slip shoes and you fell from a height as a result, you may be entitled to compensation.

Some examples of how negligence could lead to accidents in a public place include:

  • A faulty handrail. This could cause you to fall down the stairs and sustain an injury. If the occupier of the building knew (or should have known) about this but didn’t do anything to remedy it, you could claim.
  • A spill. If you were walking across a mezzanine floor and there was a spill that had not been cleaned up or signposted in a reasonable timeframe, this could cause you to fall from the platform and injure yourself.

For more examples of scenarios that could lead to a claim, speak with a member of our team today. You could be connected with a solicitor from our panel if you have a valid claim.

Collecting Evidence For Your Accident Claim

An important aspect of making a successful fall from a height claim is proving that the negligence of someone who owed you a duty of care caused your injury. Without valid evidence, your claim won’t be successful as the onus is on you, the claimant, to prove that negligence caused your injury.

Evidence you could provide includes:

  • CCTV footage
  • Witness details so that a statement can be taken 
  • Photographs of your injury and the accident scene
  • Medical scans and reports

Furthermore, part of the claims process involves an impartial medical assessment. This is done to fully assess your injuries and will result in a report being produced; this report will be used to value your claim. 

If you’d like more information on the evidence that you could use to support your claim for compensation, speak with one of our helpful and friendly advisors today.

Calculating Compensation For A Fall From A Height Claim

You could receive two potential kinds of damages through a fall from a height claim. General damages revolve around how the injury impacted you negatively. This can relate to a physical or psychological injury. The amount of compensation for this is dictated by factors such as the length of recovery time and the presence of any permanent symptoms. 

The Judicial College gives an idea of what you could receive in general damages. They analyse payouts from previous claims, comparing the amount with the nature of the injury and its severity.

They have used this information to create compensation brackets, some of which we’ve included in the table below. Please remember that this only indicates what you could receive as every claim is independent and judged on a case-by-case basis. 

Injury TypeSeverityCompensation AmountDescription
NeckSevere (ii)£61,710 to £122,860Injuries in this bracket include cervical spine disc injuries or serious neck fractures which cause issues such as permanent brachial plexus damage or substantial movement loss.
BackModerate (i)£26,050 to £36,390Cases in this bracket can include a compression/crush fracture of the lumbar vertebrae and traumatic spondylolisthesis that leads to continuous pain and potential spinal fusion surgery being required.
ShoulderModerate£7,410 to £11,980This bracket includes injuries like a frozen shoulder causing movement limitation and soft tissue injuries with more than minimal symptoms that persist for two years or more.
ShoulderMinor (iii)Up to £2,300This bracket is for a soft tissue shoulder injury that causes considerable pain. However, an almost complete recovery is made within three months.
BrainModerate (i)£140,870 to £205,580Cases in this bracket can lead to moderate to severe intellectual deficit, can affect the injured person's speech, sight and senses as well as greatly reducing their ability to work.
BrainModerately Severe£205,580 to £264,650Injuries in this bracket will lead to the injured person being seriously disabled. This will lead to them being substantially dependent on others and require constant professional care.
Psychiatric Damage GenerallyModerately Severe£17,900 to £51,460Cases in this bracket will cause significant problems to the injured person's ability to cope with education, work and life and can negatively impact their relationships with friends and family.
LegLess Serious (i)£16,860 to £26,050This bracket is for fractures that result in an incomplete recovery or serious soft tissue injuries.
KneeModerate (i)£13,920 to £24,580This bracket is for injuries like a dislocated knee, or torn cartilage causing symptoms like minor instability, weakness, wasting and other mild future disabilities.
AnkleVery Severe£46,980 to £65,420Examples of injuries in this bracket include suffering a transmalleolar ankle fracture and bilateral ankle fractures causing joint degeneration.

Special Damages In A Personal Injury Claim

The second type of damages you could receive from a fall from a height claim is special damages. Special damages relate to the financial losses suffered as a result of the injury. You would need evidence such as receipts, invoices and bank statements to prove the value of the losses you want to claim. 

Financial losses you could claim for include:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Adjustments required for your home

Care Claims

If you’ve suffered a serious injury, you may need professional medical care. For example, you could have suffered from a fall from height onto your back causing mobility issues and paralysis. Therefore, in instances such as this, you may require temporary or permanent care.

You may potentially be able to receive compensation for private healthcare costs caused by the incident. You could also include gracious care from a loved one in a compensation claim. With a fall from height, treatment can be an ongoing process meaning that you could need this type of care for a long period of time. 

To learn more about claiming for this, please contact our team for legal advice that is completely free. They can inform you if you can claim and provide you with a compensation estimate. Contact us using the above contact details at a time that suits you.  

Could I Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor For My Injury Claim?

You may be able to make a successful fall from a height claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor. This method of claiming can be more financially beneficial, as it doesn’t carry the financial risk of hiring a solicitor in the traditional way. 

 When you claim with a No Win No Fee agreement in place, it means that:

  • You won’t be asked to make an upfront payment to secure your solicitor’s services
  • You won’t be asked to pay them as the claim progresses
  • In the event that your claim fails, there will be nothing for you to pay them at all

In the event that your claim is successful, your solicitor will deduct a success fee from your compensation. This is legally capped, ensuring that you receive the majority of the settlement you’re awarded.

For more information on using a No Win No Fee solicitor in a personal injury claim, speak with a member of our team today.

Get In Touch With Us About Making A Fall From A Height Claim

Whether you’ve suffered from an accident at work or an accident in a public place, you could be owed compensation provided that your injuries result from negligence.

Our team of advisors, who are available 24/7, can tell you quickly and easily if you’re able to claim. Additionally, they can connect you with a solicitor who can work your case using a No Win No Fee agreement, provided that your claim is valid. 

Contact us on a no-obligation basis to see if you can make a fall from a height claim. You can do this using the below details. 

  • Call us with the above phone number. 
  • Claim online using our website. 
  • Send us your query through the Chat window. 

More Resources About Fall From Height Claims

Learn more useful information using the below links. 

If you’ve suffered a fracture of a complex nature, you can find medical guidance on the NHS website. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) gives advice and guidance with the aim of reducing the rate of accidents causing injury.

Would you like to understand more about managing risks and risk assessment at work? If so, discover more on the HSE website. 

We also have a bunch of guides on accident at work claims which you can read below:

Contact our team 24/7 for free to see if you can make a fall from a height claim using the above details.

Guide by STO

Writer DUR