I recently suffered a loss of toe at work after an accident on a construction site – is it possible to claim compensation, and could I be liable?
You may be entitled to claim compensation if you have suffered a loss of toe at work – however this may depend on the circumstances surrounding your accident and injury. When present on a construction site the possibility of an injury is high, and your employer should have taken all precautions possible in order to reduce the possibility of a toe loss accident at work occurring. If it is established that your employer had taken careless actions – or a lack of action – in this duty of care, it may be considered that they have been negligent towards your health and safety and you could be entitled to compensation for losing a toe at work. However it should be remembered that their duty of care is not absolute and in order to determine your eligibility to make a claim for losing a toe at work you are advised to consult a personal injury lawyer at the earliest opportunity.
Your employer may be liable for your loss of toe at work if it is determined that they had failed to provide you with a safe environment in which to work. This will depend on the circumstances of the accident which led to your injury – say, for example, your toe loss accident at work occurred as a result of fallen debris which should have been secured to reduce the possibility of falling, or if safety nets were not in place and this resulted in your injury, you may be entitled to claim compensation. It is also possible that you could claim for losing a toe at work if the safety boots with which you were provided were of a poor quality and your employer failed to replace these with more suitable boots. In this situation you may be entitled to compensation for losing a toe at work because of the negligence of your employer.
However you may be held partially liable for your own loss of toe at work in certain circumstances. This may be the situation if your toe loss accident at work occurred if you were not wearing safety boots of a suitable quality which your employer had provided you with or if you had noticed a fault with the safety boots in question but neglected to report this. Your claim for losing a toe at work can also be affected by contributory negligence if you failed to seek immediate medical attention for your injuries and your condition worsened as a result. While you may still be entitled to claim some compensation for losing a toe at work in this circumstance, this compensation can be reduced to reflect your own negligence.
To determine which party is liable for your toe loss accident at work and the amount of compensation to which you may be entitled, you are advised to consult a personal injury lawyer at the earliest opportunity. It should also be remembered that according to the Statute of Limitations a time limit of three years exists in which to make a claim for losing a toe at work. Preparing a claim may take some time, as can gathering evidence in support of your compensation for losing a toe at work. For this reason, you are advised to contact a personal injury lawyer at without delay to ensure that you have sufficient time in which to make a claim and that your claim for a loss of toe at work is handled professionally.