September 16th, 2009
A visit to the hospital can be a harrowing experience even at the best of times, unfortunately for some people a trip can be made much worse when they have an accident or suffer further injury or illness while they are in the hospital.
Hospitals are very busy places, with people, equipment and deliveries moving from one place to another all the time, on top of this there is a 24 hour cleaning routine carried out by busy teams of cleaners throughout the hospital building.
In such a hectic environment it is inevitable that accidents will happen, injuries in hospital accidents can be sustained by visitors, staff and patients and anyone else who happens to be in the building or grounds of the hospital.
Some of the most common accidents that happen in hospitals that result in a personal injury claim being made are:
- Accidents involving faulty equipment (beds, lifting hoists, wheelchairs)
- Slips and trips (on wet floors and pot holes in car parks)
- Food Poisoning (hospital cafes and food served to patients)
- Illness from hospital infections (MRSA, C Difficile and other Superbugs)
- Injury from falling objects (items on shelves, signs)
- Accidents with vehicles (such as ambulances and delivery vans)
As with any area open to members of the public, all hospitals have a duty of care to its visitors, this means they must take the appropriate steps to ensure the chances of an accident occurring are as low as possible.
With most hospitals having thousands of visitors pass through their doors every week it is almost impossible to prevent accidents happening, anyone who is injured in a hospital through no fault of their own will normally be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
It is essential that anyone wanting to make a claim against a hospital (normally the claim will be made against the NHS trust or their insurance company) seeks expert legal advice about what to do next.
By speaking to a specialist personal injury claims Solicitor the person who has been injured will get an understanding of the process involved in making a claim and will also be given an indication as to the possible amount of compensation they might receive.
In addition, a Solicitor will normally provide anyone who requires further treatment for their injuries with access to expert private medical treatment, for example someone who has injured their back in a slip on a wet floor may be sent for a series of sessions with a Physiotherapist, Chiropractor or Osteopath.
Pinto Potts are specialist personal injury claims Solicitors with considerable experience in handling claims against hospitals and NHS trusts, if you or a member of your family have been injured or suffered illness through no fault of your own get in touch for free, no obligation, confidential advice about making a claim for compensation.
