If you’ve suffered an accident at work, you may be entitled to personal injury compensation for the physical, emotional, and monetary harm caused by the injuries. This applies to all workers. In this particular guide, we examine if it is possible to make Amazon accident claims.
All personal injury claims, including those for accidents at work, must satisfy specific eligibility criteria. That’s why we start by looking at whether you’re eligible to launch a personal injury claim against your employer. This is followed with an explanation of how compensation is calculated. To help illustrate if you could be eligible for compensation, we look at some common examples of workplace accidents.
Our guide concludes by outlining the benefits of working alongside our solicitors on your claim. They could provide claiming services by using a type of No Win No Fee agreement, which takes away the worry of upfront solicitors’ fees.
Read the sections below to learn more. Alternatively, why not discuss Amazon accident claims with our advisors now? They can provide a free assessment of your claim or just answer any general questions you might have. Get in touch using the details below to find out if our solicitors could help you claim against amazon for an accident at work.
- Ring advisors for free on 0800 073 8804
- Contact us to start a claim online.
- Ask advisors anything in the box below for an immediate response.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make An Amazon Accident Claim?
To make a personal injury claim after an accident at work against Amazon will mean you need to meet specific criteria:
- As an employee of Amazon you were owed a duty of care. All employers in the UK owe their employees a duty of care while they are working.
- The duty of care owed to employees was breached due to a failure to take reasonable steps to protect you as an employee.
- You suffered physical injury, psychological harm or both as a result.
You may be familiar with the expression’ duty of care’. In the UK, all employers have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent staff from being harmed while performing their roles. This is enshrined in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA). There are a variety of ways the employer should achieve this:
- Conduct regular risk assessments of the workplace to identify and mitigate potential hazards.
- Provide workers with the essential personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to perform their job duties.
- Meet with safety representatives and respond to concerns about workplace safety.
- Ensure staff are trained in health and safety protocol.
There are numerous other ways that employers should apply correct safety standards in their workplace.
To find out more about the eligibility criteria for Amazon accident claims, why not call our advisors here at Legal Expert for a free no no-obligation consultation.
Can I Claim On Behalf Of A Loved One Who Worked For Amazon?
You may be able to start a personal injury compensation claim on behalf of a loved one if they are under 18 or lack full mental capacity. In cases like this, the courts frequently allow a family member, a guardian, or another relevant adult to act as a litigation friend. In this capacity, the person acts in the best interests of the claimant and performs all necessary tasks related to the claim, such as completing paperwork or communicating the injured party’s wishes to their solicitor.
Claims for Deceased Loved Ones
It is possible to start a personal injury claim if a loved one died due to their employer’s failure to comply with health and safety laws. Under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1937, the deceased’s estate can claim general and special damages for the pain, suffering and financial losses the loved one suffered before death. For the first six months, only the estate can make a claim, but it can also claim on behalf of dependents.
If no claim is made by the estate, specified dependents can claim under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. This is typically:
- Husbands, wives and civil partners.
- A person who lived as a spouse with the deceased for at least 2 years prior to their death.
- Parents (or those treated as such, like step-parents).
- Children (or those regarded as such through previous relationships).
- Brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles.
A claim can be made for funeral costs and the impact of loss of services in the home (DIY or childcare) that the deceased provided. Also, lost income provided by the loved one can be calculated. Finally, an amount can be included to acknowledge the loss of a special person and the impact it has had on the family as a whole.
Certain relatives may also be entitled to a bereavement award of £15,120 as set out in section 1A of the Fatal Accident Act. If more than one eligible relative claims this, it will be split.
Speak to our advisors about Amazon accident claims. They can explain how to make a fatal accident at work claim or discuss what to do to act as a litigation friend on behalf of a child or someone without mental capacity to manage a claim themselves.
What Are The Average Amazon Accident Claims Payout Amounts?
To determine the average Amazon accident claims payout, you would need to know the number of claimants for a given timespan and how much compensation was awarded in total for that same timeframe. From there, you would divide this sum by the number of claimants. However, doing that won’t help you or your accident at work claim.
Knowing the way in which settlements could be awarded, however, may prove helpful. Those involved in calculating compensation can follow a process that starts by looking at medical evidence of the injury.
Details of the harm suffered can be compared with publications such as the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This provides compensation guidelines arranged in order of severity for a wide range of injuries.
They are derived from past successful claim outcomes, but represent only a guideline. Our table uses some amounts from this document below (except the first line) to illustrate typical injuries you might have suffered in a workplace accident. Please only use it as a guide and if you don’t see the injury you suffered, speak to a member of our advisory team who can help value your claim.
Compensation Guidelines
| AREA OF HARM | SEVERITY | COMPENSATION GUIDELINES |
|---|---|---|
| Combined severe injuries and Special Damages for impact on employment prospects, medical treatments and structured care. | Severe | Up to £1 million plus |
| Head/Brain | (a) Very Severe | £344,150 increasing to £493,000 |
| (d) Less Severe | £18,700 increasing to £52,550 | |
| Neck | (a) Severe (i) | In the region of £181,020 |
| (b) Moderate (ii) | £16,770 increasing to £30,500 | |
| Knee | (a) Severe (ii) | £63,610 increasing to £85,100 |
| Back | (a) Severe (iii) | £47,320 increasing to £85,100 |
| (b) Moderate (ii) | £15,260 increasing to £33,880 | |
| Wrist | (a) Complete function loss | £58,110 increasing to £73,050 |
| Ankle | (c) Moderate | £16,770 increasing to £32,450 |
What Will Determine The Final Compensation Amount I Get?
If successful, the total compensation amount paid to you can be comprised of two areas: general and special damages. The first applies a value to the physical and psychological harm, its severity, and whether the quality of the person’s life has been permanently damaged. The second calculates the financial harm caused to the person by the injury.
Calculations for special damages require documented evidence to prove the financial harm. With this in mind, the following can be useful:
- Proof that you suffered a loss of earnings after the accident and injury, such as payslips or bank statements.
- Invoices for medical expenses and prescription charges.
- Travel expenses to vital appointments.
- Proof of amounts paid to others who had to look after you. This can include family and friends who gave up their time (gratuitous care).
- Receipts and estimates for any work needed at home or on your car to help you adapt after a permanent injury.
- Added childcare costs.
- Proof of damage to personal items in the accident (e.g. eyewear or clothing).
Our solicitors can calculate general and special damages for you. They can also accurately calculate compensation for any future expenses and costs, such as continued physiotherapy or prolonged absence from work. Contact our team to learn how we’ve helped clients secure over £80 million in compensation following an injury that wasn’t their fault.
How Long Do Amazon Workers Have To Start A Claim?
Like anyone considering a personal injury claim, there is a time limit of 3 years in which to begin, as laid out by the Limitation Act 1980. This period begins on the date of the accident. An exception to this time limit applies to two groups who can’t make a claim themselves:
- For those under 18, the time limit is paused until they reach their 18th birthday.
- Time limits for those without full mental capacity are permanently paused. If they recover capacity, they are given 3 years to claim from that date.
As we saw above, a loved one can become a litigation friend and initiate a claim on their behalf, but only while the time limit pause is in effect. To learn more about Amazon accident claims and the applicable time limits, contact us for free today.
Accident At Work Examples
When working for a retailer the size of Amazon, there are many different roles, responsibilities and working environments. Unfortunately, no workplace can be 100% safe. However, the law does expect employers to take reasonably practicable steps towards ensuring employee safety. This section examines a few examples of how workplace accidents could occur when an employer fails to take these reasonably practicable steps.
Slips, Trips And Falls
Workplace areas of all kinds are expected to be reasonably safe and not pose unnecessary risks to staff working there (or any visiting public).
Example – The floors in the main entrance of a building were cleaned without ‘cleaning in progress’ signs to alert staff. Because of this, a worker slipped on the wet floor and suffered a spinal injury and a meniscus knee injury in the fall.
Warehouse Accidents
Warehouse operatives and staff in the sortation departments or fulfilment centres receive and dispatch a vast quantity of boxes and parcels every day. The smooth running of these areas is an essential part of warehouse safety.
Example – A conveyor belt was left unrepaired despite management being aware of the safety risk. It malfunctioned and trapped an operative’s hand, causing them a crushed finger and fractured forearm.
Manual Handling Injuries
Ensuring the correct manual handling techniques are followed is an integral responsibility for certain employers. This training is important as it can help to avoid many minor musculoskeletal injuries.
Example – Appropriate manual handling training was not provided. A staff member bent over in the wrong position and injured their back.
Assault
As part of their duty of care, employers need to take reasonable steps to ensure that staff members are safe from physical assault. This includes taking reasonable steps to ensure that staff members are safe from other employees as well as customers.
Example – The employer arranged a shift for an inexperienced and untrained delivery person, and they were sent an address where the customer became violent. Furthermore, this customer was known to be aggressive with delivery workers, with several employees having put in complaints about the address. The worker sustained serious facial scarring and severe psychological harm as a result.
Example – An employee makes threats to harm another staff member. Management is aware of the threats but does not take any steps to prevent an assault from happening. An employee suffers a head injury when attacked by the colleague who made the threats.
Your example of injury may be different. The principle is the same. If you can prove that your employer failed to meet their duty of care and you were harmed, speak to our advisors to find out if you have good grounds to claim.
Work Vehicle Accidents
Employers have a duty to ensure that any workplace vehicles provided to staff are safe, fit for purpose, and roadworthy. However, road traffic accidents may have nothing to do with the employer.
While we navigate the nation’s roads, we owe and are owed a duty of care to and by everyone else on the roads to use them in a safe and responsible manner that prevents accidents. To comply with this duty, anyone on the roads needs to adhere to the Highway Code and Road Traffic Act 1988.
So, if you are in a road traffic accident while using your work vehicle (either as the driver or a passenger), you need to establish who was at fault:
- Was it a fault with the employer-issued vehicle? For example, faulty brakes which meant you couldn’t stop and suffered facial injuries crashing into a tree while leaving the warehouse.
- Did another road user cause the accident? For example, an Amazon driver was making their last delivery of the day when a bus pulled out of a junction without looking and crashed into the side of the Amazon van causing the driver to suffer a severe head injury.
Furthermore, employers need to ensure that anyone driving their vehicles is fit to drive and has the appropriate license in place. It is your responsibility to communicate with your employer if you are suddenly unfit to drive, such as being prescribed new medication or receiving points on your license. This may also apply to vehicles that do not go onto the roads, such as a forklift.
If you were in a road traffic accident while in a work vehicle, contact our advisors to find out if you could claim and against whom. They can provide you with a full claim assessment for free.
How Legal Expert Can Help Me To Claim Against Amazon
At Legal Expert, our solicitors have helped recover over £80 million in compensation for their clients. They can take up eligible claims and provide a wealth of outstanding legal services. For example, they will:
- Help to organise any necessary independent medical assessments.
- Gather evidence that supports your compensation claim.
- Use that evidence to maximum effect and calculate a thorough and fair amount of compensation.
- Communicate with your employer and their insurers to achieve the best possible outcome.
- Address all court requests and deadlines that may arise along the way.
- Answer your questions about the claims process and explain any legal terminology.
- Write the Letter of Claim, and take care of other essential steps in the personal injury claims process.
- Appoint the perfect barrister to represent you if the claim needs to go to court (most do not).
Alongside all this, our solicitors can provide their legal services through a funding option called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee contract. It allows work on the claim to commence and proceed without any solicitor’s fees being required. Additionally, no solicitor’s fees apply if the claim fails.
Under a CFA, you only need to pay for your solicitor’s services through a success fee if the claim wins. This is a small percentage of the compensation that is deducted when the claim is over. It is agreed upon in advance with your legal team. Also, it is kept under a legislative limit by the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. This means that if your claim is successful, you’ll receive virtually all of the compensation awarded.
Contact Our Advisors
Call our advisory team now to find out if our solicitors could help you claim against Amazon for an accident at work:
- Ring advisors for free on 0800 073 8804 to see if you’re able to claim.
- Contact us to claim compensation online.
- Ask advisors anything through live chat for an immediate response.
More Information
In addition to information about Amazon accident claims, here are other links to useful information:
- This guide explores accident at work claims in more depth.
- Here we look at slip, trip and fall claims.
- Also, guidance on a manual handling injury claim.
Outside help:
- Read advice about how to prevent slips and trips at work from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- How to get copies of your medical records from the NHS.
- Lastly, read about employment status definitions from GOV.UK.
To close, we value your interest in our guide about Amazon accident claims. For any more help or guidance on your options for seeking personal injury compensation, please contact the advisory team.
