Whether it be your own wedding or one that you’re attending as a guest, it should be a celebratory and momentous occasion. Quite often, huge amounts of time and money are invested into wedding preparations to ensure that the day is perfect for all. Therefore, if you became ill or were injured at a wedding that wasn’t your fault, this can cause disappointment and upset. As such, please read our wedding day personal injury claims guide and learn how you could be entitled to compensation.
Key Takeaways
- According to the Office for National Statistics, 246,897 marriages occurred in England and Wales in 2022.
- Common wedding day accidents include slips, trips and falls, burns and food poisoning from buffets.
- Many accidents can be caused by a vendor’s negligence, such as leaving loose wiring on dance floors, electrical dangers and uneven flooring.
- Food poisoning could be contracted at weddings and is often caused by improper food storage, cross-contamination and poor hygiene practices.
At Legal Expert, our friendly group of advisors are here to help you achieve a sense of justice. Our advisory team also work around the clock to answer any questions you may have about making wedding day personal injury claims. Following a free eligibility assessment, you could also be connected with one of our expert No Win No Fee solicitors to start your claim. To learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us by filling out our online claims form
- Ask a question about compensation claims in our live chat.
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Can I Claim Compensation For A Wedding Day Injury?
Yes, you could claim compensation for a wedding day injury provided that you meet the eligibility requirements. Therefore, you must fulfil the following criteria:
- You were owed a duty of care
- This duty of care was breached by another party
- You suffered avoidable harm or an injury as a result of the breach
This is otherwise known as the principle of negligence; you can therefore make a personal injury claim if another party was negligent.
A duty of care can be owed in many situations, such as:
- In the workplace
- In public places
- In the supply of food for public consumption
As such, please keep reading our wedding day personal injury claims guide to learn how you could receive compensation in the above scenarios.
Or, to learn more about your eligibility, please contact one of our friendly advisors today.
Claiming As The Bride, Groom Or As A Guest
If you sustained an injury due to the unsafe nature of a wedding premises, you could make a public liability claim against the owner as a bride, groom or a wedding guest. The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 outlines that all occupiers of public spaces have a duty of care to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors to their premises. For instance, occupiers should erect safety barriers and put up warning signs of dangers as part of their legal duty.
For example, the owner of a wedding venue could fail to fix uneven wooden flooring despite being aware of the risk. Consequently, the bride could trip over the uneven wood, causing her to fall, leading to leg and head injuries. A similar injury could occur to anyone in the wedding party or their guests.
You could therefore make a claim no matter if you were a bride that paid for the venue, or simply as a guest to the premises.
Claiming As A Venue Worker
You could also make a claim as a wedding venue worker if you suffered an accident at work that wasn’t your fault. Employers have a duty of care to all employees, as outlined by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). Namely, employers must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all employees to prevent accidents from occurring. For example, employers should provide the correct training and personal protective equipment as part of their duty of care.
Therefore, you could make an accident at work claim if your employer acted negligently, resulting in your injuries. For instance, you may not have been provided with manual handling training from your employer at a wedding venue. You could then be ordered to carry large, heavy boxes in preparation for a wedding, causing severe back injuries due to lifting incorrectly.
To learn more about the different workplace accidents you could claim for as a venue worker, contact our advisory team today.
What Compensation Could Be Awarded For Wedding Day Personal Injury Claims?
In successful wedding day personal injury claims, you will be awarded general damages as part of your settlement. In essence, general damages aim to compensate you for any physical and mental pain and suffering you experienced as a result of your injury or illness.
Moreover, your general damages are often calculated by a legal professional using the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Ultimately, this publication, often used by lawyers, provides estimated compensation guidelines for many injuries and severities.
All entries in the table below, aside from the first figure, have been taken from the JCG. Please note that the entries are merely guidelines and do not guarantee how much compensation you could receive.
| Injury | Notes | Guideline Compensation Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries and financial losses | More than one form of serious injury and special damages such as loss of earnings | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Very Severe Brain Damage | The level of award will be affected by the person's life expectancy, the ability to communicate and the presence of epilepsy | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Severe Neck Injuries (i) | Neck injury with incomplete paraplegia and where the injured person, despite wearing a collar 24 hours a day for a period of years, still has little or no movement in the neck. | In the region of £181,020 |
| Severe Arm Injuries | Injuries that fall short of amputation but are extremely serious in nature, leaving the injured person little better off than if the arm had been lost. | £117,36 to £159,770 |
| Serious Damage to Both Hands | Such injuries with permanent cosmetic disability and a serious loss of function. | £68,070 to £103,200 |
| Severe Leg Injuries (iii) Serious | Serious injuries to joints resulting in prolonged treatment and an inability to put weight on the leg. | £47,840 to £66,920 |
| Serious Foot Injuries | Injuries leading to continuing pain from traumatic arthritis or the risk of future arthritis, prolonged treatment and the risk effusion surgery. | £30,500 to £47,840 |
| Most Serious Achilles Tendon Injuries | Severance of the tendon giving rise to cramp, swelling, and restricted ankle movement. | In the region of £46,900 |
| Wrist Injuries c) | Less severe injuries resulting in some permanent disability, e.g. a degree of persisting pain and stiffness. | £15,370 to £29,900 |
For an in-depth assessment of your unique experience, please contact one of our helpful advisors today.
What Other Damages Can Be Claimed For Wedding Day Injury Claims?
In addition to general damages, you could also receive special damages as part of your compensation pay-out. The award of special damages will compensate you for any financial losses you experienced due to your injuries or illness. For example, you may have paid for long-term counselling costs to aid any ongoing psychological injuries due to a wedding day accident.
Please see the following examples of special damages that you could include in your claim:
- Loss of earnings, such as a loss in current or future income, loss of a bonus or a loss of overtime pay
- Medical expenses, such as prescription costs and private medical appointments
- Travel expenses, such as public transport and fuel costs to and from appointments
- Care costs that you may have incurred due to your inability to look after family members, such as child or elderly care
- Home modification costs, such as chairlifts, new doors to accommodate wheelchairs, stairlifts and hoists
Essentially, you should also provide evidence of any special damages such as receipts, invoices and payslips. To learn more, please get in touch with one of our advisors today.
Examples Of Accidents That Could Happen On A Wedding Day
Weddings are often busy, fast-paced events that can be held in many different types of venues that pose certain safety risks. As such, please see the following examples of wedding accidents and how they could lead to wedding day personal injury claims as a result.
Slips, Trips And Falls
Slips, trips and falls are undoubtedly some of the most common accidents that occur at weddings. To illustrate, these types of accidents can happen due to:
- Uneven flooring or pavement, causing guests to trip
- Improperly fitted carpet or floor coverings, resulting in slips from staff members
- Potholes or uneven ground if the event is held outdoors
- Spillages from drinks or from chemicals such as cleaning products
- Loose wiring from DJ equipment on the dance floor, resulting in trips
In each scenario above, it’s essential that your injury was a direct result of another party’s negligence.
Road Traffic Accidents
Road traffic accidents can also occur on wedding days; please see the following examples of how these accidents are caused:
- Rear-collisions with third party drivers
- Collisions from drunk drivers
- Collisions caused by wedding car faults
- T-bone collisions
- Collisions from drivers using their mobile phones
Moreover, all road users owe a duty of care to ensure the safety of themselves and others when navigating the roads; they also must adhere to the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code. Therefore, you could make a road traffic accident claim if you suffered an injury due to another driver’s negligence. For instance, you could be involved in a side-collision accident with another wedding guest who was drunk driving.
Please contact our team today to discuss how your injuries occurred and find out if you could be eligible to claim compensation.
What Injuries Could Be Sustained In A Wedding Day Accident?
There are many different types of injuries that you could sustain due to wedding day accidents. As such, please see the examples below and how wedding accident claims could arise as a result:
Sprains And Strains
Sprains and strain injuries could arise due to:
- Any falls due to uneven venue flooring
- Slips from spillages and no wet floor signs displayed
- Neck and back strains from carrying items that are too heavy, such as plates or decorations
- Leg strains from tripping over loose wiring
Burns
Burn injuries can have long-lasting physical and mental impacts depending on their severity. Please see the most common examples:
- Spillage of hot food or drinks, leading to superficial burns and psychological injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
- The incorrect use of fireworks, such as setting them off too close to public crowds can cause multiple injuries, including burns and hearing loss.
- Malfunctioning of colour bombs used in photo booths. This could cause severe partial-thickness burns to guests.
- Burns from fires, due to a broken electrical DJ booth wire.
Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is one of the most common illnesses that is contracted at weddings. Food vendors must ensure that food is safe for consumption. For example, caterers must ensure that cross-contamination doesn’t occur (such as mixing cooked and raw meat). Moreover, the Food Safety Act 1990 outlines the duty of care placed on anyone supplying food for public consumption.
Therefore, you could make a food poisoning claim if you experienced the following symptoms due to the wedding food:
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps and fever
It’s essential that you can prove that your illness was a result of a vendor’s unsafe food, such as gathering contact details of other guests who experienced the same or similar symptoms. One of our solicitors could take statements from them.
To learn more about food poisoning claims, please contact our advisory team today.
What Do I Need To Bring A Wedding Day Accident Claim?
It’s essential that evidence is provided to build strong wedding day personal injury claims. As such, the following types of evidence could be provided:
- Your medical records that detail your injuries or illness
- Photographs or videos of any physical injuries
- CCTV footage of the accident; you have a legal right to request CCTV footage of yourself
- Witness contact details of anyone who could support your version of events at a later date
- A copy of an accident report form from the venue
Furthermore, you will generally have up to 3 years from the date of the accident to start your personal injury claim. This is per the Limitation Act 1980. However, the following exceptions to this time limit may apply:
- If the claimant is a child, they must start their claim within the 3 years following their 18th birthday.
- If the claimant is lacking in mental capacity, the time limit is paused for an indefinite period. If a recovery is made, the 3 year time limit will begin from this date.
However, a litigation friend can be appointed to manage the claim for either type of injured party while the time limit is paused.
To know more about time limits, please get in touch with our team today.
No Win No Fee Wedding Day Personal Injury Claims
Our friendly team of advisors are here to help you with wedding day personal injury claims. If your case is strong, you could be connected with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors to start your claim. By operating under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you could experience:
- No solicitor service fees at the beginning or throughout your claim
- No solicitor fees if your claim is not a success
- If your claim is a success, you will be required to pay a small success fee for your solicitor’s work. The success fee percentage is capped by law and will be subtracted from your compensation. Consequently, you’ll always receive the bulk of your settlement.
Contact Legal Expert
To discuss wedding day personal injury claims in further detail, please contact our team:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us by filling out our online claims form
- Ask about personal injury claims in our live chat
Learn More
To learn more about personal injury claims, please see some of our other guides:
- Get help with roll cage accident claims
- Learn about how to make tinnitus accident claims
- See the following advice on sports injury claims
Additional external resources:
- Learn how to treat burns and scalds from the NHS
- Get help with how to report a health and safety issue from HSE
- See the following advice on taking sick leave from Gov.Uk
Thank you for reading our useful guide about wedding day personal injury claims.
