I Was Burned By A Hot Drink, Can I Claim?
By Lewis Cobain. Last Updated 9th February 2024. Welcome to our guide on how to claim compensation for a burn from a hot drink. Hot liquids or steams cause scalds, which are also referred to as burn injuries. Such injuries can be incredibly distressing and upsetting. If you have suffered from a burn from hot tea and it was not your fault, you could be entitled to compensation. It is important that you get the payout you deserve for the pain and suffering you have experienced.
There are many different ways burns and scald injuries can occur, including negligence at coffee shops, as well as accidents at work. For more information regarding claiming compensation for a burn from hot tea, then read on. You can also call us on 0800 073 8804 to discuss any hot drink claims with a personal injury solicitor.
Hot Drink Burn Injuries
If you’d like to learn about the key points from this guide, why not check out our video below:
Select a Section:
- Can I Claim Compensation For A Burn Caused By A Hot Drink?
- What To Do If You Suffer A Hot Drink Burn Injury
- Example Scenarios Of When You Could Claim For A Burn Caused By A Hot Drink
- What Injuries Could A Hot Drink Cause?
- How Much Compensation Could I Receive For A Burn From A Hot Drink?
- No Win No Fee Burn From A Hot Drink
Can I Claim Compensation For A Burn Caused By A Hot Drink?
If you were burned by a hot drink, you may wish to seek personal injury compensation. However, you must meet the eligibility criteria to have a valid claim.
Therefore, you must determine the following:
- A duty of care was owed to you;
- This duty of care was breached;
- You subsequently were injured.
Depending on where you suffered your hot drink burn, a duty of care could be owed to you. For example:
- In a public place, such as a cafe or restaurant, the occupiers of the building have a duty of care to ensure that you are reasonably safe whilst on their premises. This is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
- When you are at work, your employer must guarantee your health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim for your hot drink burn injuries, you must also ensure that you start legal proceedings within the correct limitation period. This is outlined in the Limitation Act 1980 as three years from the date your accident took place. However, exceptions may be made to the time limit under specific circumstances.
Get in touch with our advisors today to see whether you may have a valid personal injury claim. They can also inform you of the exceptions that apply to the three-year limitation period.
What To Do If You Suffer A Hot Drink Burn Injury
As with all personal injury claims, if you would like to seek compensation for a burn from a hot drink, you will need to collect compelling evidence. This evidence needs to prove liability for your burns and scalds.
Here are a few examples of items you could submit when seeking compensation for injuries caused by hot drinks:
- Photographs. You can take and submit photos of your burns as evidence. Additionally, if you required skin graft surgery or cosmetic surgery following the burns, you could also submit pictures of this.
- Medical records. These can show what medical treatment you require, and how the injuries are expected to affect you in the future.
- Witness contact details. If anyone saw your accident, you can make a note of their contact details so they can give a statement later into the personal injury claims process.
- Accident log book. If you suffered scalds or burns in an accident at work, there may be an accident log book. This is a legal requirement for any workplace with ten or more staff members. A copy of the incident report from this book can detail how the accident happened.
If you would like free advice about what evidence you could collect to support your burn injury claim, please speak to one of our team members. In addition to free advice about making a personal injury claim, they could also connect you to one of our personal injury solicitors if you meet the criteria.
Example Scenarios Of When You Could Claim For A Burn Caused By A Hot Drink
You could potentially make a claim for burn injuries sustained in public areas and venues, such as restaurants, pubs, parks or cafes.
They are expected to deal with any hazards found within their area within a reasonable amount of time and ensure that provisions are in place for materials and items that can pose a risk to a person’s health. This responsibility applies to hot liquids.
To give you example scenarios:
- You could have burnt your hand because of boiling water from a public tap that was broken
- If you were an employee in a coffee shop but not trained properly in how to use equipment, leading to a scalded hand
- If you had slipped due to a wet floor with no warning signs, and had dropped your beverage resulting in a coffee burn or a similar injury
You could only claim if you could prove you were injured due to negligence. Get in touch for a free eligibility check of your case.
What Injuries Could A Hot Drink Cause?
Although there are different ways that a burn from a hot drink can occur, the symptoms tend to be the same.
Common scald symptoms include:
- Charred or white skin
- Swelling
- Blisters
- Peeling skin
- Redness
In most cases, scalds are first-degree burns. This means that they impact the skin’s top layer. However, there are also a lot of second-degree cases, which is when the dermis and the epidermis, i.e. the deep layers of the skin, are damaged. Permanent nerve damage and scarring often occur as a result of the most severe scalds. How to treat hot drink burns or a burn from hot tea will depend on your injury’s severity.
How Much Compensation Could I Receive For A Burn From A Hot Drink?
The amount of compensation you could receive for a burn injury caused by a hot drink, such as a scalded hand or coffee burn, depends on a number of factors, including the severity of your injuries and who is responsible for them.
If you make a successful personal injury claim for a burn injury, you will receive general damages. This compensates you for your injuries and the pain and suffering they have caused you. Many legal professionals will often refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them value claims. The JCG provides guideline compensation amounts for injuries of varying severities.
You can browse some of the amounts listed in the 16th edition of the JCG in the table below. We’ve also included a figure in the top row to show how serious burns with other severe injuries plus expenses could be compensated. This figure has not been taken from the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries and Related Expenses | Very Severe | Claimants could be compensated for more than one very severe injury and any expenses incurred as a result, such as costs towards cosmetic surgery. | Up to £250,000+ |
| Scarring To Other Parts Of The Body | Severe | Awarded to serious burn injuries - determined by the severity and size of wounds | Likely to exceed £104,830 |
| Scarring To Other Parts Of The Body | Serious | Suitable for a single noticeable disfiguring scar | £7,830 to £22,730 |
| Scarring To Other Parts Of The Body | Minor | For scars with minor cosmetic effects | £2,370 to £7,830 |
| Facial Scarring | Very severe scarring | Awarded where the claimant is young (usually teens to early 30s) and the cosmetic and psychological effects are severe | £29,780 to £97,330 |
| Facial Scarring | Less severe scarring | Where there's substantial disfigurement and a severe psychological impact | £17,960 to £48,420 |
| Facial Scarring | Significant scarring | Where the worst effects of the scarring can or have been reduced by plastic surgery and the long-term psychological impact is not great | £9,110 to £30,090 |
| Facial Scarring | Less significant scarring | In this bracket, there might be one scar that can be covered or a number of small scars which are noticable but don't markedly affect appearance | £3,950 to £13,740 |
Additionally, you could also be awarded special damages. This compensates you for the financial losses caused by your injuries. For example, if you have to take time away from work to recover, then you could claim back a loss of earnings under special damages.
This heading can also recoup the cost of:
- Prescriptions
- Cosmetic aids
- Further medical treatment
- Travel to and from hospital appointments
To see whether you could make a claim if you’ve suffered a burnt tongue from hot drinks, contact our team of advisors today.
No Win No Fee Burn From A Hot Drink Injury Claims
One of the main benefits associated with using our service to make a burn injury claim is the fact that all of our solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis. This means that you won’t need to pay legal fees if your case is not a success. This provides you with financial protection, as you know you will never find yourself in the dreaded position where you have a huge legal bill to pay yet you don’t have any compensation to cover it. Unfortunately, this can easily happen with other solicitors, as they may charge by the hour, and their prices might seem extortionate.
There are many knock-on benefits that are linked with our No Win No Fee payment structure. Not only does it provide you with a significant degree of financial protection, but also it reassures you that we will only take on your case if it has a genuine chance of compensation. You can also be certain that we will do all in our power to secure compensation for you.
Contact Us
Whether you have been scalded by a hot drink in school or you have suffered a hot drink burn on airplane, you can count on us to help you get the full amount of compensation you deserve. All you need to do is give us a call on 0800 073 8804. You will speak to a friendly and professional member of our team, who will be more than happy to assist you in any way they can. We will answer your queries and talk you through the claim process fully.
Helpful links
- NHS guide to burns and scalds- treatment, recovery and prevention
- HSE- scalding and burns in health and social care
- Our guide to claiming compensation for a burn injury
- How much compensation could you claim after being injured at a restaurant?
- No Win No Fee Claims- a helpful guide
- The British Burns Association
More Helpful Guides:
- Learn more about foot injury claims. Find out how to claim for a foot injury caused by negligence.
- Get accident claims advice from our helpful guide covering the personal injury claims process.
- If you have suffered facial scarring due to another party’s negligence, then you may be able to claim compensation.
- Have you been injured in a factory accident? Learn more about factory accident claims with our guide.
- Our guide offers more insight on electric shock accident claims and offers more insight into the personal injury claims process.
Thank you for reading our guide about hot drink claims in the aftermath of suffering a burn from a hot drink.
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