Door Injury In A Public Place Compensation Claims Guide
When claiming for a door injury that occurred in an accident in a public place, you must meet certain criteria. If an ‘occupier’ has failed to adhere to health and safety legislation in regards to keeping you reasonably safe and you were injured in what could have been a preventable accident, you might be able to make a personal injury claim.
We will explain who qualifies as an ‘occupier’ of a public place and the duty of care they owe you in more detail. We are going to share some examples of how a door could injure you due to negligence.
Call our team if you would like to discuss your potential claim. Our friendly team is available 24/7 to help you and offer free legal advice.
To speak with an advisor:
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Contact us online.
- Or use the chat box below
Select A Section
- When Could You Claim For A Door Injury In A Public Place?
- Causes Of Door Injuries
- How To Prove Liability For A Door Injury In A Public Place
- Estimating Door Injury Claim Payouts
- Get Advice On No Win No Fee Solicitors
- Learn More About Claims For Accidents In Public Places
When Could You Claim For A Door Injury In A Public Place?
To be able to make a claim for a door injury that occurred in a public place, you will need to meet the following criteria:
- An ‘occupier’ owed you a duty of care.
- This ‘occupier’ then breached their duty of care.
- Due to this, you were injured in an accident in a public place.
Per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA), the party in control of a public space (or ‘occupier’) owes you a duty of care when you are using that space for its intended purposes. Per this duty of care, the occupier must take the necessary procedures and steps to ensure your reasonable safety. This could include taking regular hazard and risk assessments and maintaining any equipment.
If they were to breach this duty of care, this could result in you becoming injured in what could have been a preventable accident, and you could make a claim.
Contact our advisors today to see whether you could make a public liability claim.
Causes Of Door Injuries
There are various ways you could suffer a door injury. However, to be eligible to make a claim, you need to prove that your injury was caused by an occupier breaching their duty of care.
Some examples of how door injuries could occur due to negligence include:
- An occupier fails to maintain a lift in a shopping centre regularly. This results in the lift malfunctioning and closing too early as it doesn’t detect an obstacle in the way, causing your hand to get trapped in the door. You could then suffer from finger fractures.
- Your fingers were crushed in a door at your local leisure centre due to faulty anti-slam mechanisms.
- An automatic door in a supermarket closes on you due to improper safety checks and regulations. Faulty automatic doors could result in various injuries, such as breaks, fractures, or ligament damage.
Remember, not all accidents in a public place could result in a claim. Sometimes people are injured in accidents that no one is at fault for, and in these cases, a claim cannot be made. To make a personal injury claim, you must prove negligence occurred.
Do not hesitate to contact our advisors if you have any questions about starting a personal injury claim. They could also inform you of the time limit for starting a personal injury claim.
How To Prove Liability For A Door Injury In A Public Place
To be able to make a claim, you will need to prove that someone else was liable for your door injury. Providing sufficient evidence could help with proving liability and help support your chances of a successful claim. Some evidence that could help support your claim could include:
- CCTV footage or any videos of the accident.
- Eyewitness contact details (for a statement to be collected from them later).
- Any photographs of your injury – e.g. a photo of your crushed finger.
- A copy of your medical records confirming your injury and the treatment received for it.
Contact our advisors today to receive free legal advice regarding your particular claim. Additionally, they may be able to connect you with a solicitor from our panel who could assist you in gathering evidence.
Estimating Door Injury Claim Payouts
Any pain and suffering you have endured due to your door injury could be compensated with general damages in your compensation settlement.
To help them value claims, many legal professionals will refer to a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is because the JCG sets out compensation guidelines for various psychological and physical injuries. This is why we have used the compensation guidelines in the 16th edition of the JCG when creating the following table.
How much compensation you receive may differ from the amounts below due to the specific factors of your claim.
| Injury | Notes | Compensation Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Total or Effective Loss of One Hand | The hand was amputated after being crushed. | £96,160 to £109,650 |
| Severe Finger Fractures | These could lead to amputations that are partial that cause a deformity, impaired grip and other issues. | Up to £36,740 |
| Less Serious Hand Injuries | The function of the hand is significantly impaired due to a serious crush injury, regardless of whether treatment has been undertaken. | £14,450 to £29,000 |
| Serious Thumb Injuries | Injuries could include nerve damage, amputation of the tip, or fractures that require the insertion of wires. | £12,590 to £16,760 |
| Serious Injury to Ring or Middle Fingers | Injuries could include a serious injury to the tendons or fractures that result in a permanent loss of grip, a deformity, and stiffness. | £10,320 to £16,340 |
| Fracture of Index Finger | The fracture may have mended quickly. However, there will be pain on heavy use, impaired grip, and osteoarthritis is likely due. | £9,110 to £12,240 |
| Serious Little Finger Injuries | The finger will require surgery and time in plaster due to a fracture. | In the region of £6,000 |
| Minor Hand, Finger, and Thumb Injuries | A fracture takes 6 months to heal. | Up to £4,750 |
Examples Of Special Damages
Additionally, special damages could compensate for the financial losses you have experienced. However, you must prove that your door injury directly caused these losses. Special damages could compensate you for:
- Medical expenses.
- Care costs.
- A loss of earnings.
- Travel costs.
Evidence is key for proving these losses, such as invoices, payslips, and bank statements.
Do not hesitate to contact our advisors to receive free legal advice regarding your claim. They could also advise you on whether you may be entitled to compensation.
Get Advice On No Win No Fee Solicitors
You can contact our advisors if you have suffered a door injury and are unsure whether you could be entitled to compensation. If they believe you may be, they could connect you with a knowledgeable solicitor from our panel who could help you with your specific claim. Additionally, they may offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (a type of No Win No Fee agreement).
There are various benefits to working with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel, such as:
- You aren’t expected to pay any upfront service fees to your solicitor.
- If the claim is successful, a percentage of your compensation award will be paid to your solicitor. This is called a success fee. The amount your solicitor can take is capped by law.
- Alternatively, you will not have to pay your solicitor for their services if the claim is not successful.
Contact our advisors if you have any more questions about making a personal injury claim.
Talk To Our Team
If you have any additional questions about starting a claim for a door injury, you can contact our advisors. Our team is here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They could offer you free legal advice regarding your potential claim and advise you on whether you may be eligible to make a door injury claim. If they believe you could, they may connect you with a solicitor from our panel.
To speak with an advisor:
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Contact us online.
- Or use the chat box below
Learn More About Claims For Accidents In Public Places
More articles by us about personal injury claims:
- How to claim compensation for a doormat slip or trip injury.
- Do you need a solicitor for a personal injury claim?
- When could you claim for fingers trapped in a door at work?
Additional information:
- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) – Our vision and mission.
- UK Gov. – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
- NHS – Health A to Z.
Contact our advisors today to see whether you could make a personal injury claim for a door injury.