I Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is, Can I Still Make An Injury Claim?
Have you suffered an accident in a public place that wasn’t your fault? Did you sustain injuries from this accident? If so, you may be able to make a personal injury claim against the occupier. If you don’t know who the occupier is, this guide will help you to understand more about who owes you a duty of care in a public place.
The occupier of a premises has a duty of care to safeguard and protect anybody who can access the land. This can include gyms, shops, and other public places, but it also includes private properties. If they breach this duty of care and you suffer an injury of any kind, you could be eligible to claim.
How to make a claim when you don’t know who the occupier is.
Before reading this guide, you may have some questions about occupiers’ liability accidents:
- Who is the occupier under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA)?
- Who is the occupier of certain premises?
- I don’t know who owns the property, how do I find out?
This guide will explain everything you need to know about making an injury claim when you don’t know who the occupier is. Injuries in a public place can range from small sprains to total loss of a limb.
Get In Touch With Our Team
Our panel of solicitors are here to help make the personal injury compensation claim process easier for you. You can contact our team of advisers to discuss your injuries and assess how much compensation you could potentially receive. Once our team of advisers has learned more about your situation, they may be able to connect you with a solicitor from our panel to begin your claim.
We suggest you get in touch with our friendly team of advisers by:
- Calling 020 3870 4868
- Starting your occupiers’ liability claim online.
- Using the live chat feature at the bottom of the screen.
Once you’ve discussed your case with our team of advisers, you’re under no obligation to proceed with our claims services. However, an adviser may be able to pass you onto our professional panel of personal injury lawyers who can help you get started with your personal injury claim.
Services And Information
- Everything You Need To Know About Claiming If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is
- What Is A Claim If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
- Check Who Owns A Property Or Piece Of Land
- Is The Owner Or Occupier Liable For Your Injuries?
- What Do You Do If You Want To Claim But Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
- Calculating Accident And Injury Claims Against An Occupier
- How To Find Out Who Owns Residential Property
- How Much Time Do I Have To Make An Injury Claim?
- I Suffered An Accident On Someone’s Property, What Should I Do?
- Injury Claim Against An Occupier On A No Win No Fee Basis
- Other Information On What Do You Do If You Want To Claim But Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
- FAQs About Claiming If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is
Everything You Need To Know About Claiming If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is
In this article, we are going to explain the steps to take to clarify who the occupier of a premise is when you want to make a personal injury claim. There will then be an explanation on how to check who owns a property or piece of land, and how to know if they’re responsible for your injuries. Next, it will look at what you should do if the occupier denies liability by stating that they didn’t cause your injuries.
Furthermore, there’s a personal injury claims calculator table portraying amount brackets that have been taken from the guidelines by the Judicial College. We shall look in detail at what damages could be included as part of your settlement if your case is successful.
The article will then look at the personal injury claims time limit so you know exactly how much time you have to start a claim. Moreover, there will be a section showing what evidence could be used to support your personal injury claim.
This section will describe the exact steps that you could take in order to ensure your personal injury claim has the highest chance of success. Finally, the guide will look at how a solicitor from our panel could support your case under a No Win No Fee arrangement.
Contact our advisers today to learn more about how to make a personal injury claim following an accident in a public place.
What Is A Claim If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
Those who have control over a public place or where the public may visit owe a duty of care as part of the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957. If this duty of care is breached leading to an accident in which you suffer an injury you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim.
Although up-to-date statistics on public injury aren’t readily available to the public, we can access statistics on settlements of public accidents recorded by the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) between 2016 and 2021.
Statistics from the Compensation Recovery Unit
To learn more about accidents in a public place, such as accidents in the street, get in touch with our advisors today.
Check Who Owns A Property Or Piece Of Land
If you’d like to find out who owns the piece of land or property you suffered an accident on, you can type in their postcode to find out who the owner is on GOV.UK. However, some public land or property may not be registered. If this is the case, our advisors may be able to help you find out who the occupier is.
If you’d like to find out who the owner is and it isn’t showing up on GOV.UK site, here are some other things you can do:
- Contact property owners in the surrounding area to see if they know who the occupier is.
- Look at the electoral register.
- Check with the local council.
If you would like help finding this information, you can get in contact with our team of advisers who may then be able to assist you in finding out who may be responsible for the piece of land where your accident took place.
Is The Owner Or Occupier Liable For Your Injuries?
The occupier of a public place or property has a duty of care to keep people safe. This includes ensuring any visitors will be reasonably safe, whether they’ve been invited to the public place or not. However, when making a personal injury claim for an injury caused in a public place this can be more complicated when you don’t know who the occupier is.
This is where a personal injury lawyer can help you. No Win No Fee lawyers are often experienced in handling a range of cases, including those where the circumstances of the case aren’t clear cut. A personal injury solicitor will know exactly where to look for the details of the owner of the property or land.
A No Win No Fee solicitor will also be able to establish whether the occupier is responsible for your injuries and help you gather the evidence needed to prove liability.
You can speak with our team of advisers today to talk about your injuries and discuss who could be responsible for your accident.
What Do You Do If You Want To Claim But Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
To be eligible to make a personal injury claim after a public place accident you need to firstly establish liability. If the accident which led to your injury was not caused by the negligence of a party that owed you a duty of care there is no claim to make.
Those who have control of public spaces owe a duty of care to those that visit them. When this duty is breached and causes an injury, the victim of the accident could be eligible to pursue a personal injury claim. But how do you claim if you do not know who the occupier is?
Seeking legal representation can be advantageous. Solicitors will know where to start when it comes to establishing who controls an area of land or who the occupier is of a premise. Then they will know which evidence to gather in support of your case. And will ensure that you receive the correct amount of compensation.
Calculating Accident And Injury Claims Against An Occupier
We have included a guideline compensation bracket table in this article to show you how much compensation you could potentially claim for your injuries. These brackets have been taken from a document called the Judicial College Guidelines, which is often used by legal professionals to value claims.
| Injury: | Severity: | Notes: | Compensation: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Anguish (e) | Severe | A fear of impending death. | £4,380 |
| Leg Injuries (b) (i) | Severe | Serious injuries that fall just short of amputation. | £90,320 to £127,530 |
| Knee Injuries (a) (ii) | Severe | Fractures that extend through the knee joint, with permanent pain and limited movement. | £48,920 to £65,440 |
| Foot Injuries (d) | Severe | Both heels or feet fractured with substantial restriction on mobility and significant pain. | £39,390 to £65,710 |
| Digestive Injuries (a) (iii) | N/A | Industrial lacerations | £6,190 to £11,820 |
| Toe Injuries (c) | Severe | Severe crush injuries leading to amputation of one or two toes (apart from the big toe). | £12,900 to £29,770 |
| Brain or Head Injury (e) | Minor | Little to no brain damage, with consideration given to recovery time, injury severity, and remaining symptoms. | £2,070 to £11,980 |
| Total Loss of One Eye | N/A | Consideration given to age, psychiatric effect, and scarring. | £51,460 to £61,690 |
| Facial Disfigurement (b) | Significant Scarring (c) | Worst effects can be reduced by plastic surgery leaving some cosmetic disabilities. Psychological effect is not great. | £8,550 to £28,240 |
| Fractures of Jaws | Very Serious (i) | Multiple fractures followed by prolonged treatment and permanent consequences, such as severe pain. | £28,610 to £42,730 |
The figures shown in this table would fall under the general damages portion of your compensation. General damages compensate for the injury itself and the physical and psychological effect it has had on you, including treatment and recovery times, and any lasting effects you might suffer.
Special damages compensate for the financial impact the injury has had on your life. For example, a loss of earnings from having to take sick leave from work whilst you’re recovering.
You must be able to provide evidence of these losses to claim special damages. An example of this evidence could be payslips to prove you have suffered a loss of earnings, or bus tickets to prove you paid out of pocket to travel to and from work.
Our advisors can provide a free estimation of your claim when you call today.
How To Find Out Who Owns Residential Property
If you don’t know who the owner is, you can search the HM Land Registry, which holds information regarding property and land that’s been sold since 1993 in England and Wales. You can find out the property owner’s name and how much they paid for it. If they aren’t on the register, a qualified personal injury lawyer can help you find them.
It may be possible to pursue a personal injury claim if you have been injured on residential property. The onus would be on you to prove why you believe the occupier to be liable for your suffering.
If you are unsure of anything you have read so far in the guide please call our expert advisors. They can assess your claim for free and provide free legal advice. When it can be determined that you have a valid claim and it is likely that you will be awarded compensation they could connect you to a specialist solicitor.
How Much Time Do I Have To Make An Injury Claim?
According to the Limitation Act 1980, the time limit for starting a personal injury claim is generally three years. This can be from the date of the injury, or from the date of knowledge of any injuries. There are, however, some exceptions to this time limit.
If you’re under 18, the three-year time limit only begins on your 18th birthday. If you’d like to make your claim sooner, a friend/family member can become a litigation friend to pursue the personal injury claim on your behalf.
Similarly, if you are incapacitated the three-year time limit starts when you regain the capacity to claim for yourself. For example, if you are in a coma, the time limit would be frozen until you regain the appropriate functions. Alternatively, someone you trust can act as a litigation friend to file the claim sooner.
You can begin your personal injury claim today by getting in touch with our team of advisers. They can offer you free legal advice about your situation. They may then pass you on to our expert panel of personal injury lawyers.
I Suffered An Accident On Someone’s Property, What Should I Do?
If you’ve suffered an injury in a public place or property and you don’t know who the occupier is, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention. This ensures that you get the treatment you need for your injuries.
Additionally, seeking medical advice for your injuries can serve as sufficient evidence to support your personal injury claim. You can provide your medical report to convey the severity of your injuries and the treatment length.
Next, you should gather more relevant evidence to support your claim. This could be financial evidence to qualify for special damages, such as a bank statement to prove you spent your own money on prescription medications. You should also provide as much evidence as you can to prove the accident wasn’t your fault. This could be CCTV footage, photos of your injuries, or witness details so a statement can be taken.
Finally, it can be very helpful to contact a specialist solicitor to help you with your case. Our panel of solicitors are well qualified, experienced, and knowledgeable. You can speak with our team of advisers to find out more.
Injury Claim Against An Occupier On A No Win No Fee Basis
Our panel of personal injury solicitors is open to discussing No Win No Fee agreements with you. A No Win No Fee agreement is a way to hire legal counsel with little financial risk. Our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors could help you start your claim today.
If your claim fails, you don’t have to pay any of the fees your solicitor has worked towards. If your case succeeds, your solicitor will claim a small portion of your compensation as their success fee. This will come as a legally-capped percentage that you agree upon before you start your claim.
If you’d like to learn more about No Win No Fee agreements, you can contact our team of advisers by:
- Calling 020 3870 4868
- Starting your occupiers’ liability claim online.
- Using the live chat feature at the bottom of the screen.
Other Information On What Do You Do If You Want To Claim But Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is?
A Guide On How To Claim For An Accident In A Public Place: If you’d like to file a personal injury claim for a public place accident, our guide explores how you can do this. If you don’t know who the occupier is, this guide can also help you.
Is There A Time Limit To Make A Medical Negligence Claim?: Are you thinking of pursuing a medical negligence claim? Our article tells you how long you have to do this.
How Do I Get More Money From An Injury Claim?: Do you want to receive the maximum amount of compensation you’re entitled to from your injury claim? Our article shows you how you can do this.
How do I know If I’ve Broken a Bone: If you think you may have suffered a fractured bone, this NHS article shows the signs, treatment, and recovery process of a broken bone injury.
Requesting CCTV footage: Information on how to request CCTV footage to support your claim.
Broken Arm or Wrist: If you’ve suffered a broken arm or wrist injury, you can read the signs, recovery process, and treatment plan for a wrist or arm fracture from the NHS.
FAQs About Claiming If You Don’t Know Who The Occupier Is
How do I make a personal injury claim?
You can contact our team of advisers to discuss making a personal injury claim. Once they’ve discussed your situation and injuries, they can forward you to our panel of personal injury solicitors.
What constitutes a personal injury claim?
A personal injury claim can be made when someone suffers an injury that was caused by the negligence of a party that owes a duty of care. You can’t file a personal injury claim simply for having an accident but no injuries.
What is the average payout for a personal injury claim UK?
Compensation payouts vary between claimants depending on their injuries and treatment lengths and any financial losses. To find out how much compensation you could receive, you can contact our team of advisers.
Thank you for reading our guide on how to make a claim when you don’t know who the occupier is.
