Broken Chair Accident Claims | No Win No Fee

By Danielle Nicholson. Last Updated 10th November 2023. When this happens, it can lead to serious injuries, and if it happened through no fault of your own, you could try and recover personal injury compensation. In this guide, we take a comprehensive look at broken chair accident claims.

We consider compensation payouts, the types of injuries you can claim for, and how we can connect you with our panel of personal injury solicitors.

If you’d rather speak with us directly than read on, why not call us? Our helpline is open 24 hours a day and we offer a free case consultation to everyone who calls.

So to see if you can claim for injuries sustained in a broken chair accident, you can:

Broken chair accident claims

A Guide To Broken Chair Accident Claims

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Can I Make A Broken Chair Accident Claim?

There are different situations in daily life where you could suffer injuries in a broken chair accident. These include while at work and in public spaces, such as a restaurant.

If you have suffered an injury due to a broken chair and would like to make a personal injury claim, you must meet the eligibility criteria. This is:

  • You must be able to prove that you were owed a duty of care.
  • This duty was breached.
  • The breach caused your injuries.

The duty of care you are owed while at work is set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It states your employer must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees while they are working. If you suffered an injury due to your employer breaching this duty of care, you could be eligible to make an accident at work claim.

The duty of care for those in control of public spaces is set by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Per their duty, they must take steps to ensure your reasonable safety while you are using that space for its intended purpose. For example, if you were in a restaurant and you suffered an injury due to a faulty chair, and the owner of the restaurant was aware that the chair was faulty and still let you use it, you may be able to make a personal injury claim.

Please get in touch with one of the advisors from our team if you have any questions about broken chair accident claims.

Time Limits In Broken Chair Accident Claims

You must file your claim within the personal injury claims time limit if you would like to seek compensation for injuries involving a broken office chair. The Limitation Act 1980 sets this as generally 3 years from the date of the accident.

However, there are some exceptions to this limitation period. These include:

  • Those without the mental capacity to handle their own broken chair claim. The time limit is suspended for as long as they lack this capacity. However, the court may appoint a litigation friend to bring forward a claim for the injured party at any point during this time. Should the injured party recover the capacity necessary to make a personal injury claim, they will have 3 years from the date they regained this capacity to launch one if a litigation friend hasn’t acted already.
  • Children below the age of 18. In these cases, there is a pause to the time limit lasting until the injured party reaches their 18th birthday. A litigation friend can file a claim for them before this date. However, if the injured party turns 18 without legal proceedings having been started, they will have 3 years from the date of their 18th birthday to bring forward a personal injury claim.

If you would like to know if you are within the time limit to start a claim for personal injury compensation, speak to one of the advisors from our team.

Compensation Payouts In Broken Chair Accident Claims

If your personal injury claim is successful, your settlement may consist of two heads of claim: general and special damages.

Under general damages, you are compensated for your physical pain and mental suffering caused by the injuries you experienced in the broken chair accident. Those responsible for valuing this part of your claim can refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) for guidance. This text provides guideline compensation brackets for various types of injuries.

In our table below, we’ve provided a few figures that could be relevant to broken chair accident claims from the 16th edition of the JCG. It is only to be used as guidance.

InjurySeverityNotesCompensation Bracket
Multiple serious injuries plus special damagesSerious/SevereThis includes compensation for the claimant's mental and physical pain and suffering plus any financial losses they incurred as a result of these injuries.Up to £500,000+
BackSevere (i)The claimant has the most severe back injury with a combination of very serious consequences due to damage to their spinal cord and nerve roots.£91,090 to £160,980
NeckSevere (i)This bracket includes neck injuries associated with incomplete paraplegia or causing permanent spastic quadriparesis.In the region of £148,330
Neck Severe (ii)Injuries in this bracket cause considerably severe disabilities and usually involve serious fractures or damage to the cervical spine.£65,740 to £130,930
ArmSevereIn this bracket, the injury is extremely serious and leaves the claimant little better off than if the arm had been amputated.£96,160 to £130,930
AnkleVery SevereThe claimant has suffered an unusual injury that may result in a future below-the-knee amputation if they suffer a further injury.£50,060 to £69,700
AnkleSevereThese ankle injuries require an extensive period of treatment and/or in plaster and result in significant residual disability.£31,310 to £50,060
ShoulderSevereThese shoulder injuries result in significant disability from brachial plexus damage.£19,200 to £48,030
Nose FracturesSeriousThis bracket includes serious or multiple fractures to the nose or nasal complex. They result in permanent airway damage, breathing difficulty and facial deformity.£10,640 to £23,130

Special Damages

In addition to general damages, you might be able to recover special damages as part of your claim. Special damages compensate you for any expenses incurred due to your injuries. To claim special damages, you should submit evidence of your expenses, such as receipts and wage slips.

Some examples of the financial losses special damages could compensate you for in your settlement include:

  • Loss of earnings for time spent off work to recover from your injuries. This can also include pension contributions.
  • Medication costs, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
  • The cost of mobility aids.
  • Travel expenses, such as taxi fares to attend appointments.

If you have any questions about how compensation is awarded in broken chair accident claims, please get in touch with one of the advisors from our team. In addition to answering your questions and providing you with free advice about claiming, they can give you a personalised claim valuation.

What Evidence Will Help Me Prove My Broken Chair Accident Claim?

Collecting evidence is an important step in the personal injury claims process. This is because evidence can illustrate who is responsible for your injuries, how they occurred, and how severe they are. Evidence for your claim for a broken chair accident may include the following:

  • Medical records that confirm your injuries and the treatment you’ve received for them.
  • Any video footage available, such as CCTV footage, that shows the accident and how it happened.
  • Photographs of the accident scene and your injuries.
  • Contact details of any witnesses who can provide a statement at a later date.
  • If your broken chair accident happened at work, then a copy of the report from your work accident book could also be used as evidence.

A solicitor could assist you with gathering evidence if you choose to be supported by one. For more advice on preparing for a personal injury claim following an accident involving a broken chair, please contact our advisors for free today.

 Types Of Injuries Caused By Broken Chairs

When you suffer a broken chair injury, the type of injury that you sustain can be broad-ranging, from trivial to very serious, for example:

  • All kinds of back injuries, such as a spinal injury or a herniated disc.
  • A head injury.
  • A scalp injury.
  • A broken arm or fractured arm.
  • Whiplash.
  • A hernia.
  • A tailbone injury.

No matter what kind of injury you suffer, if the accident that caused it was the fault of a third party, we could be able to help you claim.

Potential Causes Of Broken Chair Accidents

There are many ways that chair accidents can happen. However, there are a number of causes that are more frequently encountered than others, for example:

  • The chair broke due to disrepair
  • The chair tipped backwards.
  • The chair collapsed
  • The chair fell from the edge of a raised seating area.
  • The chair had a broken leg,

No matter the cause of your chair-related injury, if another party was even partially to blame, we could be able to assist with your claim.

 Claiming For A Broken Chair Accident In A Restaurant

When making a claim for falling from a broken restaurant chair, it needs to be proven that the restaurant was at fault in some way. For example, if you are injured by a broken chair in a restaurant, you would need to be able to prove that the restaurant was either aware the chair was broken, or failed to make sure the chair was safe. Because of this, we recommend anyone injured in such an accident, takes photographs of the chair and the scene of the accident, to be used as evidence at a later stage of the claims process.

 Workplace Accidents Caused By Broken Chairs

When people suffer office chair injuries, due to a broken chair at work or another reason, it may be possible for them to make a claim if the employer is liable for the accident that harmed them.

Every employer has to follow all of the Health & Safety regulations that apply to its business activities. These regulations are in place to protect members of the public and staff from injuries and illnesses. This compliance is mandatory, and monitored closely. When compliance fails, and an employee is injured at work, then the employer could be liable to pay compensation.

 Claims For A Child Injured In A Broken Chair Accident At School

Child injured from broken chair accident

Child injured from broken chair accident

The school has to legally provide a safe and healthy environment for all pupils, at all times. When the school fails to fulfil this obligation, and it leads to a student suffering an accident and subsequent injury, then there could be a reason for you to make a claim on their behalf. In this case, you would act as the child’s “litigation friend” and be their legal representative throughout the claim.

 Public Transport And Broken Chair Accidents

It isn’t only possible to claim for accidents involving restaurant seating, schools, chairs at work, etc. You can also claim against public transport companies, if the seating provided on a train, bus, coach, or even a taxi, causes you an injury and the third party is liable for the accident that harmed you.

You would first need to prove that the seat that caused the accident was faulty, and once again, we recommend gathering photographic evidence. You would need to be able to prove that the transport company was aware the chair was broken. Once this is done, you could be able to pursue the transport company for compensation for the accident that harmed you. Speak to one of our claim advisors, and they should be able to help get your claim underway.

 Broken Chair Accidents In Public Spaces

If you suffer a chair accident, for example, the chair broke due to disrepair causing injuries, and the accident took place in a public place, you could be able to make a claim.

For example, if you were to be injured by a park bench in your local park, that the council is responsible for maintaining, but had failed to then you could possibly make a claim against the council. This also covers seating in places such as children’s playgrounds, bus stops, etc.

Yet again, we recommend you use your phone to take photographs of the seating that caused the injury, to be used as evidence in your claim later on.

 Make A Personal Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Lawyer

If you were injured due to a broken chair and are eligible to make a personal injury claim, a No Win No Fee lawyer from our panel may be able to help you. They may offer to represent you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee contract. Under this arrangement, you won’t have to pay an upfront fee or an ongoing fee for their services, nor will you pay a fee for their work if your claim fails.

If your claim is successful, then your lawyer will take a success fee. This is a small percentage of your compensation award. However, this percentage is regulated by a legislative cap, which helps to make sure that the majority of your award will go to you.

To find out if a No Win No Fee lawyer from our expert panel could help you with your claim, contact our team today. One of our advisors can evaluate your case, and answer any questions you might have about the personal injury claims process. If they find your claim to be valid, they may then connect you with a lawyer from our panel. To get started:

Learn More About Personal Injury Claims

You may find the information at the following external links to be of some use to you:

If you need any more advice on broken chair accident claims, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.