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Work vehicle claims

If you drive a vehicle at work and suffer an incident, you could make a work vehicle claim today.

35+ years' experience in the field

Employers must make sure that workers are fit and competent to operate workplace vehicles. If your employer does not maintain a safe workplace, including regular risk assessments and training, and you are injured in a workplace vehicle incident, you may be able to claim compensation.

Our experienced workplace injury claims team can advise you about starting your compensation claim if you have been injured in a workplace vehicle incident or any other type of workplace injury.

If you believe you have suffered a vehicle injury at work that wasn't your fault, you could claim for anything from pain and trauma to missed pay, treatments and rehab. Talk to us as soon as possible and your claim will be investigated.

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What our clients say

Ross was excellent - offered very clear explanations and clear pros/cons at each point a decision was needed. For me it meant that what could have been a very stressful set of choices became relatively straightforward and I've felt that I've understood what has been going on throughout.

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What are work vehicle claims?

You may work in a job that means you have to drive or use work vehicles such as:

  • Fork-lift trucks
  • Lift trucks
  • Mobile plant
  • Dumper trucks
  • Cherry pickers
  • Tractors or other farm vehicles.

Your job may also involve you using cars, vans or lorries. Your employer has a duty of care towards you and must take every step possible to reduce the risk of workplace transport incidents.

Driving for work is one of the most potentially dangerous aspects of any profession. Every year, thousands of workers are seriously injured and deaths can even occur.

Often, work-related vehicle accidents happen during goods storage, collection and delivery. People at risk include:

  • Delivery drivers
  • Sub-contractors
  • Warehouse operatives
  • Company employees
  • Visitors

Common workplace vehicle injuries

There are many reasons vehicle injuries at work can happen, including:

  • Being hit by a moving workplace vehicle like a lorry, forklift truck, etc
  • Crushed between moving vehicles
  • Hit by objects falling out of vehicles
  • Falling from cabs
  • Injury from overturning vehicles
  • Falling from tail-lifts
  • Falling off goods ramps

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Your employer’s responsibility

All employers are bound by law to ensure employees work in a safe environment and that they are protected from work hazards to minimise incidents.

If your job involves driving or working with powered vehicles, then your employer must take every practical precaution to reduce the risk of injuries.

Employers must follow the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and as part of their health and safety arrangements they should provide a risk assessment. The main areas to be looked at are:

  1. The journey
  2. The driver or rider
  3. The vehicle

Hazards that should be considered when driving for work are:

  • Time pressure
  • Vehicle condition
  • Roadworks, traffic and congestion
  • The weather
  • Behaviour of other road users

How we can help with work vehicle accident claims

Mr Daniel Hughes

The workplace injury team acted for Daniel when he was injured at work. Mr Hughes was at work on a construction site, which was not under the control of his employer. The defendant’s employees had left several large gas pipes on the site which was impeding operations.

Following a request, one of the defendant’s employees agreed to remove the pipes by vehicles. However, instead of cutting up the pipe, the defendant’s employee attached the piping to the rear tow bar of his van. He then drove the van across the worksite at speed with the piping dragged along the ground. The pipe hit Mr Hughes, knocked him to the ground and fractured his leg.

The incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive and investigated. The defendant accepted legal responsibility.

Farm worker

A farm worker suffered a partial amputation of his little finger and partial thumb function loss when he was asked to move some ‘H’ shaped steel girders.

Rather than lifting the girders out of the ground the supervisor said that they should be lifted straight onto the tines of a forklift truck.

To save time the supervisor lifted the girder onto the forklift truck which became unstable. It slipped and trapped our client’s right hand. This has led to permanent problems in his day to day activities. The case was settled for £70,000

What you should do if you’ve been injured at work

Our expert work injury lawyers can advise if you have a car accident in a company vehicle, or any form of work vehicle injury.

Your first call of action is to get medical help. For minor injuries, call the management and ask for First Aid. For more serious injuries, call 999.

Report the incident to the paramedics and the doctor as accurately as you can. Make sure to talk to your GP and give him or her an accurate account.

Talk to our team. The quicker you act, the better your chances. You have three years from the date of an incident to begin Court proceedings.

Report the incident officially to your employer as soon as possible. Request a copy of the accident book entry. Your employer is bound by law to make an entry of accidents leading to injuries.

We strongly advise you to report the case to Department for Work and Pensions. This will assist in your application for state benefits.

Try to get details of as many witnesses as possible. We will get them to help us build a case for you.

Ask your shop steward or safety rep to take pictures of the scene of the incident.

You should take pictures of your injury as soon as possible after the incident and at regular intervals during treatment and recovery.

Download our personal injury brochure

Download a copy of our personal injury brochure to learn more about how we can help you and how we have helped others following a serious injury

News and blogs

News Article
Personal injury Salisbury

Lawyer for Salisbury crash victims calls for action plan to prevent future collisions

A lawyer representing victims of the Salisbury train crash has called on the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to confirm what actions have been taken to ensure that a similar collision is prevented.