Incidents Involving Animals for Which You Can Claim Compensation
Animals bring a lot of joy to our lives; pets in particular are very important members of many families across the UK and beyond, and treating them with kindness is something which should be second nature to everyone.
There are occasions, however, on which the differences between animals and humans can be brought into sharp relief. Sometimes, for various reasons, accidents take place which, although they cannot fairly be blamed on pets or livestock themselves, need to be addressed and, where possible, compensated for if a person has been hurt in the incident.
Unfortunately, there have been several highly publicised examples in recent years of pets, usually dangerous dogs, attacking members of the public. This has sometimes tragically resulted in death, but such events are mercifully extremely rare. Nevertheless, incidents resulting in mild or serious injury are all too common, with recent figures indicating that around 6,450 hospital admissions now take place every year as a result of dog attacks, which represents a marked increase on the numbers of previous years.
Another way in which people are injured in Britain and elsewhere by animals is less a result of aggression and more the consequence of professional negligence or carelessness. Sadly, many people are injured every year by livestock straying onto the road, with drivers swerving to miss them and then having a separate collision. The reason for this happening is sometimes because farmers or other owners have not taken the steps necessary to ensure that the field or enclosure in which the animals are being held has been adequately secured; this kind of incident is often completely avoidable, and victims have to be compensated for where possible.
Even in an age when the existence of firms specialising in personal injury compensation is widely known, it is still the case that not enough people know they can make a claim for any injuries suffered due to the errant actions of animals.
The owners of the animals which have caused you harm are usually one hundred per cent liable for their actions. They have a legal duty to not only protect the animals themselves, but also the general public to whom they may be dangerous. Because of this, you as a claimant will be entitled to compensation to help you through what will inevitably be a difficult recovery process, as long as the incident in question was not because of you intimidating or frightening the animal involved.
There are occasions, however, on which the differences between animals and humans can be brought into sharp relief. Sometimes, for various reasons, accidents take place which, although they cannot fairly be blamed on pets or livestock themselves, need to be addressed and, where possible, compensated for if a person has been hurt in the incident.
Unfortunately, there have been several highly publicised examples in recent years of pets, usually dangerous dogs, attacking members of the public. This has sometimes tragically resulted in death, but such events are mercifully extremely rare. Nevertheless, incidents resulting in mild or serious injury are all too common, with recent figures indicating that around 6,450 hospital admissions now take place every year as a result of dog attacks, which represents a marked increase on the numbers of previous years.
Another way in which people are injured in Britain and elsewhere by animals is less a result of aggression and more the consequence of professional negligence or carelessness. Sadly, many people are injured every year by livestock straying onto the road, with drivers swerving to miss them and then having a separate collision. The reason for this happening is sometimes because farmers or other owners have not taken the steps necessary to ensure that the field or enclosure in which the animals are being held has been adequately secured; this kind of incident is often completely avoidable, and victims have to be compensated for where possible.
Even in an age when the existence of firms specialising in personal injury compensation is widely known, it is still the case that not enough people know they can make a claim for any injuries suffered due to the errant actions of animals.
The owners of the animals which have caused you harm are usually one hundred per cent liable for their actions. They have a legal duty to not only protect the animals themselves, but also the general public to whom they may be dangerous. Because of this, you as a claimant will be entitled to compensation to help you through what will inevitably be a difficult recovery process, as long as the incident in question was not because of you intimidating or frightening the animal involved.
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