Understanding your legal rights if you are injured in wet weather

 Injuries at work during wet weather

If you have to work outside as part of your job, there should be protections in place to prevent these accidents occurring where possible. Your employer has a duty of care to make sure you’re protected at work from the dangers of wet weather. Ways in which they can help prevent this include providing appropriate clothing, training, equipment to enable you to safely carry out your job. If your employer fails to appropriately protect you by providing the right training or not giving you the right equipment, you could be claim compensation if you are injured as a result.

An example of the scale of this problem is highlighted by stats released by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who recorded that over 100 NHS staff at just 1 NHS Trust had problems of slipping and falling on wet floors over  period of 2 years. Slipping and falling due to wet flooring can cause serious injuries. This can leave people with long term medical injuries due to someone else’s negligence when there is wet weather.

If you’ve ever slipped or fallen because of the wet weather and it wasn’t your fault. You might be able to make a claim against a workplace with slippery flooring, a business or even a vehicle driver.

Road Accidents in wet weather

If you’re also driving on wet roads, there can be serious road traffic accidents for yourself, other drivers, pedestrians and other road users. In 2019, it was found that 4,971 accidents in the rain caused serious injuries or death.

It is everyone’s responsibility to look after one another when driving and ensuring we all drive in a sensible manner taking the weather conditions into account. When driving in the wet weather make sure to:

• Use dipped headlights.
• Give yourself more time to react (increasing the gap between you and the car in front)
• Keep your eyes on the road
• Make sure to drive safely and slowly
• Anticipate others actions and be prepared

This could help prevent road accidents and ensure that everyone is as protected as they can be whilst driving in poor conditions.

Legally if you are involved in a road collision and you are not at fault you can make a claim for compensation. This will usually be paid by the negligent party’s insurance where it is available. Getting an injury from an accident on the road can be traumatic. Not only are you concentrating on your recovery but there is additional financial burden if you are unable to work and, in some cases, support your family. Our Personal Injury lawyers. We will make sure you receive compensation you deserve on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Accidents in a Public place

Businesses have a duty not just to make sure their employees are safe but also their customers or people visiting their premises. If you’ve had an accident in a public place due to wet flooring, you may be entitled to compensation. There should be reasonable measures put in place to ensure that they prevent injuries happening.

By making a claim for your accident or fall in a public place, we will seek compensation which can include rehabilitation and support needed for your recovery, recovering financial losses and future losses.

There are many things which can be sighted as neglect including:

• Lack of training
• Lack of preventative measures in place
• No warnings should there be a wet/slippery environment