25th July 2007

Successful compensation claim after accident at school injures Girl Guide

A 14 year old girl guide received compensation for an injury she received whilst on school property. She was attending her routine unit meeting which was held in the local school, and was moving from one room to another via a glazed door. She was injured when her right hand went through a pane of glass in the door as she went to open it, causing cuts to her hand.

Several years earlier, in 1964, a similar claim for compensation had been brought. The Judge in this case found that the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the defendants, had had sufficient time since then to consider the matter. He found that the school should have changed the type of glass used in these doors, given the many years since the earlier case.

The defendants’ argued that there was no need for them to change the glass as they conformed to British Standards. They called four witnesses in their defence, all of whom stated that there had been no previous complaints about this type of glass. The Judge, however, found that there had been a breach of the regulations as well as common law breaches.

The law states that the defendants’ were required to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of the claimant was assured in all parts of the school at all times. The claim was based upon a breach of the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 together with the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, Regulation 17 (3).

Compensation Claim

Clear Answers’ lawyers have teams of experts waiting to help you, should you decide to instruct us to represent you in your claim. We specialise in all types of personal injury claims, whether you were injured as a result of an accident at work, or whether your accident happened in a public place.

The person responsible for your accident will pay our legal fees, and our service will be cost-free for you. You will receive 100% of your compensation if you select Clear Answers to represent you in this matter.

If you or a family member has been injured in these circumstances, please ring us on 0800 783 9019 and speak to one of our advisers. They will be happy to provide you with expert legal advice, talk you through the claims process in plain English and answer any questions you may have regarding your claim. Alternatively, you may prefer to complete one of our online compensation claim forms, and one of our representatives will contact you.


back to news index