A ladder that I had been told was secured to the wall came loose while I was climbing it. I fell and damaged the ligaments in my knee meaning that I have been unable to work since. I would like to claim for falling off a ladder on a farm and want to know what steps should be followed.
The circumstances surrounding your injury, the impact it will have on your social life as well as the extent and severity of the injuries you sustained are all factors that may affect your potential claim for falling off a ladder on a farm.
Your employer has a duty of care to ensure the equipment used by employees is well-maintained and safe to use and a failure on their behalf to do that could be deemed as negligence. You will need to demonstrate that they are at fault for this accident in order to make a successful claim for falling off a ladder on a farm, to do this strong evidence will be required. You should seek to obtain contact details of anybody who saw the accident and if possible take photographs of the damaged ladder. If your employer had CCTV cameras installed on the premises you should investigate if any footage of the incident is available.
It would also be in your best interests to speak with a personal injury lawyer and make a note of your injury in your employer’s ‘Accident Report Book’. After you do this it is possible that the negligent party’s insurance company will make you a direct offer of compensation as often it is stipulated in its contract that policyholders must inform the insurers when an entry is made in the ‘Accident Report Book’.
Generally when such an offer is made it means the insurance company accepts liability for your injuries and is willing to settle the claim however it would be wise to refer any such offer to your personal injury lawyer otherwise you are exposing yourself to the risk of being undercompensated for your injuries.
Your lawyer will be aware of the potential value of your claim for falling off a ladder on a farm and will be able to advise appropriately whether you should seek compensation or accept the early offer.