Hit By A Falling Object At Work – Can I Claim?

This guide offers advice on making a work injury claim if you have been hit by a falling object at work. If you have sustained a workplace injury and have evidence to prove it was due to your employer’s breach of duty of care, you could be entitled to make a claim. 

hit by falling object

Hit By A Falling Object At Work – Can I Claim?

We will explore the eligibility criteria needed to claim accident at work compensation. Furthermore, we’ll take a look at some accidents that could form the basis of a claim and examine how settlements are reached. Moreover, this page discusses what evidence you could provide in support of your accident at work claim.

Suppose you are seeking legal representation to make a claim after being hit by a falling object at work. In that case, you might benefit from working with a lawyer under a No Win No Fee agreement. Our panel of personal injury lawyers could help you on this basis; we will explain what this means further in this guide. 

If you think you have a valid claim, please seek a free consultation from one of our legal advisors using one of the following options:

  • Call us on 0161 696 9685 (line open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
  • Completing our contact us form
  • Using our live chat box at the bottom of this page 

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Can I Claim If Hit By A Falling Object At Work? 

If you have been hit by a falling object at work which resulted in an injury, you may be able to make a successful claim. Your circumstances would need to meet the relevant eligibility criteria, which are as follows:

  1. You need to prove that your employer had a duty of care towards you
  2. You need to prove that they breached their duty of care
  3. You need to prove that this breach directly caused your injury. 

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, every employer must take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees. This responsibility is the employer’s duty of care.

An example of a reasonable measure to ensure workplace safety can be regular maintenance of systems and machinery. Furthermore, employers should carry out regular risk assessments and act on the results to prevent injuries to those they employ. 

To see if you are eligible to make a workplace accident claim after being hit by a falling object, speak to one of our advisors today. If so, they could connect you with a No Win No Fee lawyer from our panel.

Struck By Falling Object At Work – When Can I Claim? 

Being struck by a falling object can occur in a range of workspaces. However, this could be more likely in certain workplaces, such as construction and building sites, where employees may work on multiple levels and transport loads overhead. Causes of workplace accidents in which you’re hit by a falling object can include:

  • Suffering a head injury from a falling object in a warehouse because those objects were not stacked correctly on the shelf. 
  • Working with faulty machinery that has not had any regular checks. Under The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1988, it is a requirement for your employer to maintain and inspect work equipment. You could sustain injury if, while working in a factory, a conveyor belt stopped suddenly, throwing objects from it. If these objects were to hit you, you could sustain multiple injuries, such as an eye injury and a head injury. 
  • Not being sufficiently and appropriately trained by your employer on lifting machinery such as a crane. This could lead to a crash, which causes heavy objects on a construction site to fall from the crane at height and seriously injure you.

Please note that provided are just a few examples of how you could be hit by a falling object due to your employer breaching their duty of care. Please speak to one of our advisors about your specific workplace accident in more detail for more information about your claim liability. 

Potential Compensation After Being Hit By A Falling Object At Work

In the event that you make a successful claim after being hit by an object at work, the compensation you receive could consist of two heads of claim. These are general damages and special damages. 

General damages account for the pain and suffering caused by any physical and/or mental injuries the accident caused. Accident at work solicitors can use medical records to help them value your claim. Furthermore, they might use a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them with this. These guidelines cover a range of different injuries of varying severity. 

In the table below are examples from the guidelines of some potentially relevant injuries you may have sustained. However, as each case is unique, you should only use these as guides:

Compensation Table

Type of injurySeverityCompensation figure bracketNotes
Head Injury Very Severe£282,010 to £403,990Little to no response in surroundings, requires full-time nursing care. Very serious disabilities.
Head Injury Minor£2,210 to £12,770If there is any brain damage, it will be minimal.
Injuries Affecting Sight Total blindness In the region of £286,720Complete loss of eyesight in both eyes.
Injuries Affecting Sight Minor £9,110 to £20,980Minor but permanent vision impairment, such as sensitivity to light or double vision. Could affect either one eye or both.
Back InjurySevere (i) £91,090 - £160,980Severe pain caused by damage to spinal cord and nerve endings resulting in impaired bladder function and incomplete paralysis.
Back InjuryMinor (i) £7,890 to £12,510No surgery is required for a full recovery, or a recovery to nuisance level, within two to five years.
Arm Injury Severe£96,160 to £130,930Injuries that don't require amputation but where the injured person has been left little better off than if this had been done.
Arm InjurySimple £6,610 to £19,200Simple forearm fractures
Chest Injuries Simple £12,590 to £17,960For example, on penetrating wound that causes permanent tissue damage but doesn't interfere with lung function long-term.
Foot InjuryModestUp to £13,740Ruptured ligaments and simple fractures, with permanent damage such as limping or pain in one foot.

Special Damages

Special damages compensate for all financial losses you have or will experience due to your workplace injury. If you would not have had to pay otherwise and can provide evidence of your costs and losses, you may be able to claim these back.

Listed are a few examples of the costs that you could recover under the special damages head of claim:

  • Travel expenses
  • Medical costs 
  • Adaptations made to your home,
  • Not being able to work during your recovery period, which causes you a loss of earnings. Wage slips can prove this.

To see how much your personal injury claim could be worth after being hit by a falling object at work, speak with a member of our team today. They could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel if your case is valid.

What Evidence Could Help Me In A Work Injury Claim?

Providing evidence can be an important element when making a personal injury claim. Without evidence, you could miss out on part of your compensation, or miss out on a settlement as a whole.

There are multiple forms of evidence that you could use to show that a breach of duty of care resulted in your injuries. For example:

  • Photographs and CCTV of the accident itself and the site at the time of the incident. 
  • Witness contact details from anyone who saw the incident take place.
  • A report of the incident in the accident at work book. 
  • A diary of your symptoms, including your mental state.
  • Copies of medical records, such as scans, test results and treatment plans. 

Get in touch with our team for free advice about collecting evidence in support of your claim. If your case is valid, an advisor could put you in contact with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel who could help you with the process of doing so.

Contact Us For Free To See If You Can Claim Using No Win No Fee Accident At Work Solicitors From Our Panel

If you would like legal representation when making a claim, one of the personal injury lawyers from our panel could work with you if you have a valid case. Based on your circumstance, we can offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement, which is a kind of No Win No Fee agreement.

This is an agreement between you and your lawyer that means you generally do not have to pay any upfront fees or any costs during the case process. If your claim is unsuccessful, you do not owe anything to your lawyer for the work they have carried out on your claim. However, if your claim is successful, your lawyer will deduct a capped percentage from your compensation, known as a success fee. This prevents solicitors from overcharging their clients.

If you were hit by a falling object at work and would like to pursue an accident at work claim, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for free advice. Discuss with one of our advisors who could also connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor using the details below:

  • On our phone line at 0161 696 9685 (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  • Via our contact us page.
  • Through our live chat box at the bottom of our website.

Read More About Claiming For Being Hit By An Object

Below, we have included links to some more of our guides that you could find useful:

We have also included some external resources below:

If you have any more questions about claiming after being hit by a falling object and injured at work, speak with a member of our team today.

Page by JM

Edited by FS