Last Updated 7th February 2025. This guide explores how to sue a business for causing your injuries both as an employee and as a visitor to their premises.
We provide information on the duty of care businesses owe to their workers and the general public and some examples of how failures to uphold these duties can cause injuries. We also explain how personal injury compensation is calculated under the two different heads of claim.
You will find guidance on filing your personal injury claim and how our solicitors can support you throughout the claims process. This guide also briefly touches on settling out of court.
The penultimate section of the guide explores the specific No Win No Fee contract our solicitors can offer, with particular reference to the benefits of starting your potential claim under these terms with us.
To discuss how to sue a company further or get an assessment of your eligibility to start a claim for free, contact our team of advisors today. You can reach our team 24/7 using the contact details provided here:
- Call our team on 0800 073 8804.
- Begin your claim online by completing this form.
- Click the live chat button on your screen now
Select A Section
- How To Sue A Business For An Injury
- Examples Of Accidents You Could Sue A Business For
- How To File Your Personal Injury Claim
- What Compensation Could You Claim?
- Out Of Court Settlements
- Ask How To Sue A Business With Our Team
- Resources On How To Sue A Business In The UK
How To Sue A Business For An Injury
Legislation is in place to protect you from harm in various circumstances. This includes when you are working or visiting a public place.
While you are working, you are protected by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASWA), which means that your employer must take reasonable steps to prevent your exposure to harm in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the public body responsible for regulating and providing guidance on health and safety in the workplace.
Additionally, while in a public space, the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957 means that businesses must take necessary steps to ensure the reasonable safety of those visiting. For example, an organisation must put up a wet floor sign to prevent people from slipping over and falling.
When suing a business, you must be able to prove that:
- A business owed you a duty of care (as per the legislation in place)
- They failed to fulfil their duty to you
- You suffered an injury as a result
If you are still unsure how to sue a business, you can contact one of our advisors. They can establish whether you are eligible and find out whether one of our No Win No Fee solicitors can represent you going forward.
How Long Do You Have To Sue A Business?
Personal injury claims are subject to a time limit of 3 years in most cases, as per the Limitation Act 1980. Exceptions to this can be made in cases where the injured person is a minor or is of a reduced mental capacity.
To learn more about how to sue your employer while employed, make a public liability claim or find out more about the time limits, contact our advisors today.
Examples Of Accidents You Could Sue A Business For
Both their workers and members of the public could be injured in an accident if businesses fail to take the necessary steps to protect them. Examples of how you could be injured as a result of a business’ failure to uphold its duty of care include:
- You and a colleague were using a forklift truck to move goods in a warehouse. Your employer had provided inadequate training yet instructed you and your colleague to use the truck regardless. Your colleague failed to stop the forklift, running you over and causing serious injury to both of your legs.
- When entering a shop, the sign above the door came free from its mountings and hit you in the side of the head. The business was aware of the faulty sign yet had not repaired the sign or removed it altogether. You suffered a substantial head injury in the accident.
The above scenarios are just two examples of how a business can fail to uphold its duty of care. To find out how to sue a business in your particular circumstances, contact an advisor via the details given above.
How To File Your Personal Injury Claim
This section provides an overview of how to sue a company in more detail. Your claim will be filed in accordance with the Pre-action Protocol for personal injury claims.
In order to start your personal injury claim, you will first need to acquire adequate supporting evidence. This may include CCTV footage of the accident taking place, which is useful as it may have captured the hazard that caused the accident, a copy of the report from the company accident book, if a workplace has more than 10 employees, an accident log book is compulsory, training documents and contact details of witnesses who saw the accident occur, statements can be taken later by a responsible party if needed.
As part of the personal injury claims process, you will also be invited to an independent medical assessment. This is so a medical practitioner can assess the severity of your injuries, state whether they think your injuries align with the circumstances of the accident and provide a prognosis. The report from this assessment will be used in the valuation process of your claim.
Issuing in court proceedings is a last resort. The two parties should attempt to reach a settlement outside of the courts.
Our team of advisors can explain the claims process further, offer guidance on the evidence you can acquire and assess your eligibility to claim free of charge. Contact an advisor today using the details given below
What Compensation Could You Claim?
Now we’ve explained how to sue a business, this section looks at how compensation in personal injury claims is calculated. Compensation settlements for personal injury claims can be made up of two different heads of claim. These are:
- General damages: this head of claim awards for the physical and psychological effects.
- Special damages: financial losses associated with the injuries you have sustained could be reimbursed under this head of claim.
The persons responsible for calculating the potential value of your claim can refer to your independent medical assessment in conjunction with relevant figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document, published by the Judicial College, details guideline award brackets for a multitude of different injuries. We have taken some of these brackets for use in our table.
Compensation Table
This table has been included as guidance only. The top entry is not from the JCG.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Guideline Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Special Damages | Very Serious | Up to £1,000,000 and above |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Paralysis | Paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 |
| Epilepsy | Established Grand Mal | £124,470 to £183,190 |
| Leg | Amputation below the knee of one leg | £127,930 to £167,760 |
| Arm Amputation | Loss of One Arm | Not less than £167,380 |
| Hand Injuries | Total/Effective Loss of One Hand | £117,360 to £133,810 |
| Chest Injuries | Traumatic Injury | £80,240 to £122,850 |
| Back Injuries | Moderate (i) | £33,880 to £47,320 |
Special Damages
You could recover costs incurred as a result of being injured under special damages. Examples of such costs include:
- Lost earnings.
- Domestic care.
- Home adaptations.
- Travel expenses.
You will need to submit evidence to claim special damages, so retain copies of your payslips, travel tickets and receipts.
To get a more detailed estimate of what your personal injury claim could be worth, speak to an advisor today. You can reach our team 24 hours a day using the contact information given below.
Out Of Court Settlements
An out-of-court settlement could be offered any time up until the case is heard in court. Only a very small percentage of cases will go to court. At any stage, the defendant or their team can offer you a settlement. If you have decided to use a solicitor they can advise you on whether the amount offered is justified. At no time do you ever need to accept the offer if you do not want to.
Most personal injury claims do not go to court, call our advisors now to find out if you are eligible to make a personal injury claim.
Ask How To Sue A Business With Our Team
You can ask our advisors how to sue a business following an accident at any time. Once an advisor has assessed your particular circumstances, they could put you in touch with one of our personal injury solicitors.
Our solicitors can offer their services under a type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Making your personal injury claim with a solicitor under a CFA presents a number of advantages to claimants, including:
- Not having to pay a fee upfront for the solicitor to begin work on your claim.
- No fees for this work during the claims process itself.
- In the event your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay a fee for the solicitor’s services.
Following the success of your personal injury claim, you will receive a compensation settlement. The solicitor will take a percentage of this compensation as their success fee. As the maximum percentage that can be charged as a success fee is legally capped, you will keep most of any awarded compensation.
To discuss the claims process further, ask any questions or get an assessment of your eligibility to start a claim for free, contact our team of advisors today. You can reach our team 24/7 using the contact details provided here:
- Call our team on 0800 073 8804.
- Begin your claim online by completing this form.
- Click the live chat button on your screen now
Resources On How To Sue A Business In The UK
Read more of guides to making personal injury claims against businesses:
- Find out how to claim for a broken ankle at work and how personal injury compensation is calculated.
- Learn when you could be eligible to claim for an accident in a shop here.
- Read who is entitled to claim after a slip, trip or fall at work.
We have also provided these links to some external resources you may find helpful.
- Read this resource on head injury and concussion from the NHS.
- Learn more about litigation friends in claims where the injured person is a minor or lacks mental capacity.
- The HSE has published guidance on training and competence in the workplace.
We’d like to thank you for taking the time to read our guide on how to sue a business. Our team of dedicated and experienced advisors are available 24 hours a day to address any of your queries. They can also assess your eligibility to begin a personal injury claim for no charge. Get in touch today via the contact information provided above.
