Who Could Make A Serious Injury Claim For Blindness?
If you suffered a serious injury that led to losing your sight, you may be interested in making a claim for blindness. However, not everyone is eligible to make a personal injury claim. In this guide, we’ll explain the criteria for making a personal injury claim for a serious injury, and the time limits in place.
We’ll also explore how evidence can help your claim and the types of evidence that you could collect to help build a strong case. Following this, we’ll look at what compensation could be awarded in a serious injury claim for blindness; generally, there are two heads of claim that you could receive if your claim succeeds. Our guide will explore these different heads, and offer guideline compensation amounts.
Finally, our guide will touch on the benefits of working with a No Win No Fee solicitor. Read on to learn more, or get in touch with our team of advisors to get more information by:
- Calling 020 3870 4868
- Contacting us online
- Using the live chat feature
Select A Section
- Serious Injury Claim For Blindness – Eligibility Criteria
- What Is The Serious Injury Claim Time Limit?
- How Do I Prove My Claim For Blindness?
- Settlements For Blindness And Eye Injuries
- Claim For Blindness With No Win No Fee Serious Injury Solicitors
- Read More About Serious Injury Claims
Serious Injury Claim For Blindness – Eligibility Criteria
In order to make a personal injury claim after suffering blindness in an accident, you will need to be able to show that you satisfy the eligibility criteria. Generally, in order to form the basis of a valid personal injury claim, you must be able to prove that:
- A third party owed you a duty of care
- This duty was breached
- As a result, you were injured
To find out if you could make a serious injury claim for blindness, call our advisors now and have a free case assessment, if they can see that your claim has good grounds, they could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
Making A Public Accident Claim
If you were involved in an accident in a public place, then you may have been protected by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (OLA). This legislation states that the person in control of the space owes visitors to the premises a duty of care, which means that they must take steps to create a reasonably safe space. If they fail to do so, and you suffer a serious injury as a result, you may be able to make a public liability claim.
Making A Workplace Accident Claim
In the workplace, your employer owes you a duty of care. This is outlined by the Health And Safety At Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), which states that your employer has a responsibility to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure you are safe while working.
If your employer fails to uphold their duty of care, and you suffer an eye injury at work, then you may be able to make an accident at work claim.
Making A Road Traffic Accident Claim
You could also claim personal injury compensation if you are injured in a road traffic accident. The Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code dictate the rules that road users must follow to uphold their duty of care. This duty means that they have to navigate the roads in a way to prevent harm to themselves and others.
If a road user fails to uphold this duty, and you are injured because of this, then you may be able to make a road traffic accident claim.
To find out if your case fits the eligibility criteria for making a claim for blindness, contact our team of advisors today.
What Is The Serious Injury Claim Time Limit?
Another factor in whether you could be eligible to make a claim is the time limit. Whether you are claiming for a car accident or an injury at work, the time limit for starting a personal injury claim is generally three years. This means that you must start your claim within three years of suffering your injuries.
The Limitation Act 1980 sets out this time limit and also explains the exceptions in place. To learn about these exceptions, or to find out if you are within the time limit to start a claim for blindness, contact our team of advisors today.
How Do I Prove My Claim For Blindness?
Collecting evidence to prove your case is an essential step in the claims process. Evidence can benefit many areas of your claim, such as who is liable, how your injuries occurred and what injuries you suffered. For example, recording an accident in the accident book of your workplace can help prove the accident took place.
Some examples of evidence that you could collect to support a claim for blindness at work, on the road, or in a public place include:
- CCTV footage: If your accident was recorded by a CCTV system, you may be able to request the footage to be used as evidence in your claim. This can help illustrate how the accident occurred.
- Medical records: Your medical records offer insight into your injuries, and can help demonstrate their severity and the treatment you will need going forwards.
- Photographs: Taking photographs of the accident site can help prove how your accident occurred.
- Financial records: Your financial records can illustrate how your injuries have affected your finances. For example, you may need to spend money on screen reading programs or braille lessons, which could be covered by your compensation.
One benefit of working with a solicitor on your serious injury claim is that they can help you gather evidence. For example, a solicitor can talk to witnesses and take their statements and can evaluate different areas of your claim to identify other relevant evidence.
To learn more about how a solicitor could help you gather evidence to support your claim, contact our team today.
Settlements For Blindness And Eye Injuries
If your claim for blindness succeeds, you could receive up to two different heads of claim. The first is general damages. This addresses your injuries, including both your physical injuries and psychological injuries. It also considers how your injuries will affect your life going forwards.
When solicitors and other legal professionals calculate this area of your settlement, they may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document that provides guideline compensation amounts for injuries of differing severities.
Below, we’ve included a compensation table that illustrates some of these figures in relation to eye injuries and blindness. However, please note that these figures are only guidelines, and are not guaranteed.
Compensation Table
Injury | Compensation Bracket | Notes |
---|---|---|
Multiple Serious Injuries | Up to £1,000,000+ | Various kinds of serious injuries with financial losses and expenses. |
Total Blindness And Deafness | In the region of £403,990 |
Considered with the most devastating of injuries. |
Total Blindness | In the region of £268,720 |
Complete blindness. |
Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye (i) | £95,990 to £179,770 | Serious risk of more deterioration in the remaining eye. |
Loss of Sight in One Eye with Reduced Vision in the Remaining Eye (ii) | £63,950 to £105,990 | Reduced vision in the remaining eye, with problems such as double vision. |
Total Loss of One Eye | £54,830 to £65,710 | Cosmetic effect, age, and psychiatric consequences are all considered here. |
Complete Loss Of Sight In One Eye | £49,270 to £54,830 | Consideration given to scarring and sympathetic ophthalmia. |
Loss Of Earnings | Up to £100,000+ | Compensation for lost income due to your injuries. |
You may also be eligible for special damages. This second head of claim addresses the way your injuries affect your finances, and may help you recoup the cost of:
- Childcare
- Travel
- Help with cooking and cleaning
- Prescriptions
- Home adjustments
- Lost earnings if you can no longer work
To learn more about claiming compensation for a serious injury, contact our team today. One of our advisors could offer more information on making a claim for blindness, and may connect you with a solicitor from our panel.
Claim For Blindness With No Win No Fee Serious Injury Solicitors
If you are ready to start your claim for blindness following a serious accident, a solicitor from our panel could help. Our panel are experts in personal injury law and have helped many people receive compensation for their injuries.
Our panel also offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis. They do this by working under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). When you work with a legal professional under a CFA, they don’t ask for an upfront fee or a retaining fee for their work. You also aren’t required to pay a fee for their work if your claim doesn’t succeed.
If your claim is successful, a success fee is deducted from your compensation. This success fee is a percentage of what you receive, though the percentage is subject to a legislative cap; this helps to ensure that the larger share of your settlement stays with you.
To find out if you could be eligible to work with a solicitor from our panel, contact our team today.
Talk To Us About Your Claim
Our team of advisors are here to help. If you’d like to talk to us about making a claim for blindness, or if you’d like to find out if you could be eligible to start a claim, get in touch today. You can contact a member of our team by:
- Calling 020 3870 4868
- Contacting us online
- Using the live chat feature
Read More About Serious Injury Claims
For more helpful guides:
- Find out how to claim if you suffered a serious accident at work and how much compensation your claim could be worth.
- Learn how to make a serious head injury claim and find out if you could be entitled to compensation.
- Get more information on what a serious back injury claim could be worth and how an expert solicitor could help you.
Or, for more helpful resources:
Thank you for reading our guide on how to claim for blindness.