How To Claim Compensation For An Inadequate Or Poor Lighting Accident
By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 15th March 2024. Whether you are at work, walking down the street or in a public space, inadequate, nonexistent, or poor lighting can sometimes seem like more of an annoyance than a danger. However, a lack of lighting can be a common cause of accidents such as slips, trips, and falls. These accidents can even result in serious injuries.
It could be that your workplace has inadequate lighting for you to carry out your job, or that you had a fall in a public place like a shopping centre, library or leisure centre or on public transport. Wherever you were injured you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation if you can show that poor or inadequate lighting was to blame for your accident.
Selection A Section
- Poor Lighting Accident Claims
- Injuries Caused By Bad Lighting
- How Much Could My Poor Lighting Accident Claim Be Worth?
- How To Make A No Win No Fee Accident Claim For Injuries Caused By Inadequate Lighting
Poor Lighting Accident Claims b
When areas are badly lit, it becomes much harder to avoid everyday hazards. You might have been injured in a badly lit area for a number of reasons. Sometimes a light bulb could have blown and not have been replaced, there could be poor light fittings or simply badly designed lighting layouts.
In certain areas of everyday life, you are owed a duty of care. While at work, your employer owes you this duty under The Health And Safety At Work etc Act 1974 to take reasonably, practical steps to ensure your safety while you are carrying out work duties.
While out and about in public places such as supermarkets, restaurants, or even in your local park, those who are in control of that area also owe you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 to ensure that you are reasonably safe while using that space for the intended purpose.
To be eligible to make a personal injury claim after suffering an injury due to poor lighting, you need to be able to show that:
- At the time of your accident, a third party owed you a duty of care.
- The party failed to adhere to this duty, such as failing to replace broken lighting.
- This breach led to an accident in which you suffered an injury.
Failing to fix broken lighting or provide adequate lighting, can amount to what is called a ‘breach of duty of care’. To establish this, we need to show who is responsible for lighting in the area and find out whether they owe you a duty of care. We also need to establish whether they can be held liable for your accident.
Our advisors offer a free assessment of your case. Here, you can ask questions about your poor lighting accident claim. If you have grounds to begin a personal injury claim, we will offer to connect you with a specialist solicitor who works under No Win No Fee terms.
Injuries Caused by Bad Lighting
Slips, trips, and falls are the most common types of accidents we see as a result of poor lighting. For example; you could be injured when walking down a flight of stairs at work or in a public space. You could miss a step and fall down the stairs. Common injuries from this are bruises and cuts. More serious injuries can include broken bones or even a serious head injury.
Even in environments such as the office, poor lighting can mean you don’t see some computer cabling on the floor or a carelessly placed file which means you trip and fall. Such accidents can commonly lead to a broken or sprained wrist or ankle. You may even have a back injury from such an accident.
Poor lighting in the workplace or public spaces can lead to life-changing injuries. Factory injuries can be caused by poor lighting on the production floor. Tripping or falling into machinery can result in injuries such as cuts, lacerations, crush injuries or worse.
Depending on the severity of the injury, some people find they do not fully recover from these injuries. Life-changing effects can be both physical and psychological, leaving the person having to deal with the results for the rest of their life.
Making a personal injury claim for poor lighting can help you to get the compensation that you deserve. This can help you to cope in the future with the pain, suffering or injury you have sustained. Compensation can also help alleviate the financial stress of losing earnings and having to pay medical expenses.
Injury Caused By Bad Lighting – How Long Do I Have To Claim?
The standard time limit for claiming for injuries caused by poor lighting is three years. This is applied by law under the Limitation Act 1980 and the time limit usually starts from the date of the incident that caused your injuries.
If a child is injured in an incident involving bad lighting, then the three-year time limit for starting a claim does not start immediately for them. It instead won’t begin until the day the victim turns 18. From this point, the victim will be old enough to start a claim on their own behalf. Alternatively, someone close to the child, such as a parent or guardian, could potentially claim on the victim’s behalf before they turn 18. To do so, they will need to apply to serve as a litigation friend for the child.
Another circumstance where the three-year time limit does not apply is when the victim of a personal injury lacks the mental capacity to claim on their own behalf. In these circumstances, a litigation friend may potentially be able to claim on the victim’s behalf instead.
How Much Could My Poor Lighting Accident Claim Be Worth?
Injuries caused by poor lighting can vary in their potential monetary worth. The compensation you receive can be made up of more than one figure.
This section focuses on the amount known as general damages. This is what’s awarded to you to compensate you for your injuries. The injuries can be physical, psychological, or even both.
There is a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Legal professionals use this (along with medical evidence) to help value your claim. We have included some example figures from the JCG in the table below, except for the first entry.
The range of figures you’ll see is based on similar cases that have been handled in the past. However, your injury may differ and therefore the value stated may not reflect the amount you receive. Every claim is different.
| Injury | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries + Special Damages | A combination of multiple severe injuries and special damages, including lost earnings or the cost of home adjustments. | Up to £500,000+ |
| Brain damage | (b) Moderately severe – serious disability | £219,070 to £282,010 |
| Brain damage | (d) Less severe – a good recovery will have been made, but not necessarily a complete one | £15,320 to £43,060 |
| Chest | (c) Chest and lung(s) damaged, causing a degree of lasting disability | £31,310 to £54,830 |
| Chest | (g) Soft tissue injuries, pain, fractured ribs that heal within weeks | Up to £3,950 |
| Neck | (b) Moderate – (i) Severe, immediate symptoms brought about by fractures/dislocations | £24,990 to £38,490 |
| Back | (c) Minor – (iii) Fully recovered within 3 months | £2,450 to £4,350 |
| Shoulder | (e) Clavicle fracture | £5,150 to £12,240 |
| Finger | (k) Ring or middle fingers are seriously injured | £10,320 to £16,340 |
| Teeth | (i) Several front teeth lost or seriously damaged | £8,730 to £11,410 |
It’s also possible you could be owed special damages for your injuries caused by inadequate lighting. These cover any costs and losses that are directly caused by your injuries. For example:
- Loss of earnings – if you are left unable to work for a period of time.
- Medical expenses – things such as prescription costs
- Damage to property – the cost of your personal items being repaired or replaced if they were damaged in the accident
Get in touch if you need more information on special damages or making a claim for injuries caused by inadequate lighting. Or, to find out how to claim personal injury compensation with a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis, read on.
How To Make A No Win No Fee Accident Claim For Injuries Caused By Inadequate Lighting
While you aren’t obligated to work with a solicitor on your personal injury claim, it can be very beneficial. For example, a personal injury solicitor could provide more insight and guidance into how to seek compensation and could help you collect evidence.
Plus, our team of solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis through the help of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). When you work with a No Win No Fee solicitor on a personal injury claim, you generally aren’t required to pay a fee either upfront or as the claim goes on for their services. Similarly, if the claim fails, your solicitor won’t take a fee for their work.
If your personal injury compensation claim succeeds, then your solicitor will take a success fee. This fee is deducted directly from your compensation as a percentage. However, there is a legal cap applied to this, which helps to make sure that you keep the larger share of what you receive.
Contact Our Team
To start your inadequate lighting compensation claim, contact our team today. One of our advisors can offer more information on the personal injury claims process and could potentially connect you with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors. To get started:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Use the live chat box in the corner
- Talk to us about your claim online
Useful Links
- How To Start Your Lighting Accident Claim
Find out how to start your personal injury claim. - Lighting In the Workplace
The Health and Safety Executive guide to lighting in the workplace.
