Forklift truck injuries may cause you minor or serious harm, disrupting your independence and day-to-day life. So, you may wonder how much compensation for a forklift accident you may pursue in a personal injury claim.
Ultimately, this is determined by the extent of your injuries and the impact this has had on your life. Our specialist panel of solicitors at How Much Compensation are here to support you, helping you calculate your compensation and pursue a claim for it.
Key Takeaways
- Forklift trucks are industrial vehicles used in warehouses or construction sites to transport heavy materials and goods.
- Employers must take reasonable steps to prevent forklift accidents. So, if yours failed to do so, causing your injuries you may claim compensation.
- You may receive compensation for injuries sustained in forklift truck accidents as well as financial losses you incurred due to your injuries.
- To claim compensation, you must obtain evidence to prove your employer was responsible for your injuries and pursue a claim within 3 years.
- The specialist personal injury solicitors on our panel may help you pursue a forklift injury compensation claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
Have a free claims consultation with our helpful advisors today to find out if you are eligible to claim compensation for your injuries.
We are here to help you
Here at HowMuchCompensation.co.uk our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
Jump To A Section
- How Much Compensation For A Forklift Accident Claim?
- What Can Forklift Accident Compensation Help Me With?
- Am I Able To Make A Claim After A Forklift Truck Accident?
- How Do Forklift Injuries Happen?
- Can I Claim On Behalf Of An Injured Loved One?
- What Is The Process For Starting A Forklift Accident Claim?
- Why Claim For A Forklift Truck Accident With Our Panel Of Solicitors?
- More Information
How Much Compensation For A Forklift Accident Claim?
How much compensation you may be awarded for a successful forklift accident claim depends on the extent of your physical and psychological injuries. Throughout your claim, this is referred to as general damages.
The table below provides examples of suggestive compensation brackets for injuries associated with forklift truck accidents. The figures were taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), a document used by solicitors to ensure that awards are fair and consistent across all claims.
You may read this table to determine how much compensation you may be awarded for your injuries. However, please note that as the figures are suggestive, they are not guaranteed. Also, the first figure is not from the JCG.
| Injury | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries and Significant Financial Losses | Up to £1 million plus | Multiple injuries of a serious nature, imposing significant financial losses including lost wages, extensive rehabilitation and then home care |
| Very Severe Brain Damage | £344,150 to £493,000 | Factors that determine this award include the claimant’s life expectancy, physical limitations, communication difficulties and behavioural problems. |
| Paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 | Factors that determine this award include the claimant’s pain, independence, age, life expectancy and psychological problems. |
| Severe Back Injuries (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 | Suggested for spinal cord and nerve root damage causing severe pain and incomplete paralysis. |
| Loss of One Arm (i) | Not Less Than £167,380 | Suggested for arm amputations from the shoulder. |
| Severe Pelvis And Hip Injuries (i) | £95,680 to £159,770 | Suggested for extensive pelvic fractures. Factors that determine this award include the claimant’s level of pain and treatment and bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction. |
| Severe Leg Injuries (ii) | £66,920 to £109,290 | Suggested for very serious leg injuries causing permanent mobility problems, severe pain and discomfort. |
| Severe Foot Injuries | £51,220 to £85,460 | Suggested for foot fractures, reducing mobility and causing severe pain. |
| Less Severe Elbow Injuries | £19,100 to £39,070 | Suggested for elbow injuries that impair function and movement but not requiring major surgery. |
| Multiple Noticeable Laceration Scars or One Disfiguring Scar | £9,560 to £27,740 | Suggested for multiple laceration scars or a disfiguring one to the leg(s), arm(s), hand(s), back or chest. |
How Is Forklift Injury Compensation Calculated?
Forklift injury compensation is calculated by the solicitor appointed to your claim who values this based on the extent of your injuries and medical treatment, the impact this has had on your life and your prognosis.
Ensuring your award is fair and accurate, you may undergo an independent medical assessment to determine the physical and mental injuries you suffered as a result of the accident. Your solicitor will then refer to this report and value how much compensation your injuries are worth in line with the JCG.
Discuss your injuries with our advisors today for a more accurate assessment of how much compensation you may be awarded.
We are here to help you
Here at HowMuchCompensation.co.uk our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
What Can Forklift Accident Compensation Help Me With?
Forklift accident compensation may help you rebuild your health and financial stability following your accident.
As well as being physically and mentally harmful, forklift injuries can be expensive. However, you may be awarded special damages to reimburse your financial losses, resulting from your injuries. Some examples of this include:
- Lost wages and work benefits such as bonuses
- Medical bills and prescription payments
- Rehabilitation and mental health service costs
- Travel costs for going to and from appointments
- Reimbursements for damaged personal items and clothing
- Special equipment costs such as recovery support items
- Home modification costs such as mobility ramps
To be compensated special damages, you must have evidence of the losses you incurred such as payslips, medical bills and receipts.
If you have any questions about how forklift accident compensation may help you, please contact our advisors.
Am I Able To Make A Claim After A Forklift Truck Accident?
Yes, you may be able to make a claim after a forklift truck accident if employer negligence occurred. We explain the circumstances of the accident at work claims criteria below.
To demonstrate employer negligence, you must be able to prove that:
- Your employer owed a duty of care. All employers owe their employees a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. To fulfil this, they must take reasonable steps to ensure their employees are safe, such as conducting risk assessments.
- Your employer breached this duty. If employers fail to fulfil their duty, this is considered negligent, placing them in breach of their duty. For example, they may fail to provide PPE, putting employees at risk of injuries.
- This resulted in your injuries. If your employer breached their duty of care and this caused you to sustain injuries in a forklift truck accident, you may be eligible to pursue an accident at work claim.
Discuss your forklift truck accident with our advisors today to find out if you are eligible to claim compensation for your suffering.
How Do Forklift Injuries Happen?
Forklift injuries typically happen as a result of employer negligence. To illustrate this, such accidents and injuries may occur if employers fail to:
- Complete health and safety inspections. For example, an employer may fail to perform a safety inspection on a forklift truck and notice the brake was faulty. As a result, an employee is unable to stop in time, collides into a wall and sustains a head injury.
- Provide personal protective equipment. For example, an employer may fail to provide employees with protective boots. As a result, when the forklift truck was being lowered, an employee sustained a crushed foot injury.
- Provide adequate safety training. For example, an employer may not have completed sufficient training on how to safely manoeuvre a forklift truck when vision is restricted. As a result a new employee collides into another, causing their spinal injury.
Regardless of how your employer was responsible for your injuries, discuss this with our advisors to find out if you are entitled to compensation.
Can I Claim On Behalf Of An Injured Loved One?
Yes, you may claim on behalf of a loved one who was injured in a forklift accident. In doing so, you will act as a litigation friend throughout the claims process.
You may claim on behalf of a loved one if they lack mental capacity and they are subsequently unable to pursue a claim themselves or if they are a minor under the age of 18. However, you must be over the age of 18 and act in your loved one’s best interests.
Some of the duties you may have as a litigation friend include:
- Making legal decisions and signing legal documents
- Gathering evidence to establish third-party liability
- Corresponding with solicitors and third parties
- Keeping the claimant up to date with the claims process
Contact our advisors today to pursue a claim as a litigation friend on behalf of a loved one.
What Is The Process For Starting A Forklift Accident Claim?
The process for starting a forklift accident claim is to simply collect evidence that proves your claim and to contact our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors within 3 years of your injuries.
Will I Need Evidence To Prove My Forklift Accident And Injuries?
Yes, you will need evidence to prove fault for your forklift accident and injuries. This refers to any information that illustrates how your employer breached their duty of care and how this caused your injuries.
For example, you may obtain a copy of the workplace accident report, your medical records and photographs of your injuries.
The more evidence you obtain, the greater chance you have in proving fault for a successful claim. Our panel of solicitors may help you collect evidence if you need support with this.
Read our evidence guide, to find more examples of how to prove your claim.
How Much Time Do I Have To Claim For Forklift Accident Compensation?
You will typically have 3 years to pursue a forklift accident compensation claim. However, there may be some exceptions to this.
The time limit begins on the day you sustained your injuries. So, it is useful to keep a record of this date to ensure you do not go beyond the limitation period as after the time limit ends, you may not be able to pursue a claim.
Read our time limit guide to learn more about this.
Can I Claim For A Forklift Injury On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Yes, you may claim for a forklift injury on a No Win No Fee with How Much Compensation. Our panel of solicitors offer their legal services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) meaning you can gain legal representation without the pressure of paying upfront service fees.
If you sign a CFA, you will pay a minimal success fee if your claim is successful. Additionally, this fee is a set percentage protected by a legal cap and taken from your compensation, so you won’t have to worry about it. Furthermore, our panel will fully explain the success fee and what percentage of your compensation will be deducted when you sign the agreement.
Contact our friendly advisors if you have any questions regarding the process of starting a forklift accident claim.
Why Claim For A Forklift Truck Accident With Our Panel Of Solicitors?
You should claim for a forklift truck accident with our panel of solicitors as they are specialists in personal injury claims. Additionally, they are registered by the Solicitors Regulation Authority so, you can trust they will provide valuable legal support in a professional and compassionate manner.
Having undergone extensive legal training and gained decades of combined experience in workplace accident claims, our panel of solicitors have the skills to accurately navigate their way through your claim, no matter how complex it may be. In doing so, they will:
- Walk and support you through each stage of your claim
- Simply explain legal terms and important documentation
- Help you gather evidence to establish third party liability
- Set you up with an independent medical assessment
- Help you access rehabilitation and mental health services
- Accurately value your injuries and calculate your compensation
- Handle correspondence with your employer and other third parties
At How Much Compensation, we understand how a forklift truck accident may impact many aspects of your life. However, you can trust that our panel of solicitors will utilise their legal skills and offer endless support to try and get you the compensation you deserve to rebuild your life.
Contact Our Advisors
Contact our advisors at How Much Compensation today for a free consultation regarding your eligibility to claim forklift truck injury compensation by:
- Calling them on 0800 408 7826 to go over the details of your accident
- Sending them any questions regarding your claim on a free, private live chat
- Filling in our contact us form for a call back
Our helplines are open 24 hours a day, so please get in touch anytime.
More Information
For more information about accident at work claims, please read our guides linked below.
- Read our serious injury claims guide
- Learn about manual handling injury claims
- Information about accident at work compensation
References
- Access an emergency care unit, NHS.UK
- Information about disability benefits, GOV.UK
- Learn more about personal protective clothing, HSE.GOV.UK
Thank you for reading our guide which explains how much compensation for a forklift accident you may be awarded and how our panel of solicitors can support you.
