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Southampton Airport Accident Claims Guide

Southampton airport is popular because of its proximity to 2 motorways and serves nearly 2 million passengers each year travelling to over 40 different destinations. The airport has been open for over 100 years and although most customers have a pleasant time waiting for their journeys, an accident at Southampton airport can really ruin your trip and could lead to a compensation claim.

Southampton airport

Southampton airport

If you’ve been injured at Southampton airport, either as a flight passenger or a member of staff working at the airport, then Legal Expert can help you to make a claim. If you’re ready to begin your claim, then please call us today on 0800 073 8804.

If you’d like to know more first then please continue reading as this guide will provide you with all of the information you may require when deciding to make a claim or not.

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A Guide To Southampton Airport Accident Or Injury Claims

Southampton airport serves up to 2 million customers in Hampshire and the south of England each year. It is home to 12 different types of planes and 19 different tour operators offering flights to 40 different locations.

Most people travel through the airport without any issues but if you’ve had an accident in Southampton airport it may be possible to make a compensation claim if the accident was caused by somebody else.

This guide will explain what you need to do in the event of an accident, the most common types of aviation accident that lead to compensation claim, how Legal Expert can help with any claim and why we offer no win no fee agreements for all cases we take on.

It’s important to note that this guide isn’t just for passengers or customers attending the airport, it’s also relevant for people who work there, make deliveries there or are visiting for other reasons. If you’ve had an accident that you believe was somebody else’s fault then we can help you to claim regardless of why you were there.

What Is A Southampton Airport Accident?

There are various types of accident that can happen at Southampton airport (or any other airport for that matter) which this article will cover in more detail. To be eligible to make a claim against the airport (or a shop, restaurant or café based there), there are a number of points you, or your personal injury lawyer, needs to prove:

  • Firstly, that the entity you are claiming against owed you a duty of care,
  • Secondly, that they breached that duty of care in some way,
  • And finally, that the breach caused you to have an accident and to become injured.

If those points are all true, then Legal Expert can help you to make a claim against the airport. If you’re unsure though, please contact us and let one of our specialist advisors assess your claim with you and offer you free legal advice on how to proceed.

Another point to bear in mind is that a claim for an accident at Southampton airport would have to made within 3 years of the accident happening as this is the time limit imposed by UK law for personal injury claims (this can vary when on the plane or holiday so please check with us as soon as you can).

Southampton Airport Health And Safety Statistics

According to RIDDOR statistics from the British government 39 per cent of staff accidents for staff at airports were for lifting and manual handling injuries, slips and trips make up 24 per cent and being struck by an object were 13 per cent of the accidents reported in 2014 (the last set of available results at the time this guide was written).

Those figures are from airports across the UK and Southampton airport has actually received a 5-star rating for its health and safety procedures following an external audit from the British Safety Council. That means that the procedures and health and safety policies at the airport are amongst the best.

That said, an accident at Southampton airport could be caused by a member of staff who has chosen to, or forgotten, ignore the procedures that are in place to protect everyone within the airport building.

As mentioned above, to make a successful claim for compensation your solicitor would need to prove that somebody else made a mistake, was negligent or failed to protect you from being injured. So even if an establishment has the best safety procedures, human error could mean that you’d be entitled to compensation.

Incidents And Accidents Which Can Happen In An Airport

Over the next few sections we’ll cover the most common types of accident that could happen within an airport. If you don’t see your accident listed, then don’t worry as this is just a sample of the most common types of injury that an airport that can lead to claims.

Airport Slip/ Trips Injury Claims

A slip or trip that causes you to fall could happen just about anywhere within the airport, but they don’t automatically mean you’d be eligible to make a claim. For instance, if you simply weren’t paying attention to where you were going then the airport probably wouldn’t be to blame but there scenarios where they could be such as:

  • Wet or slippery floors with no warning signs used to highlight the danger
  • Damaged flooring
  • Poor or broken lighting which made it difficult to spot a trip hazard

It is possible to trip whilst boarding the place as well but, more than likely, that would result in a different type of claim against the airline rather than the airport but it is still possible to claim.

If you believe that you tripped and became injured within Southampton airport due to somebody else’s mistake, then please contact our team of personal injury solicitors today for further advice on how to proceed with your claim.

Airport Shuttle Bus And Ground Transport

There are numerous vehicles involved within an airport and also with transporting guests from hotels to airports. The type of vehicle-based accident you’re involved in would determine who any claim would be made against (which we can provide free legal advice on). The types of accident that may happen include:

  • Accidents with cleaning vehicles within the airport
  • Accidents while being transferred by shuttle bus or taxi to the airport
  • Accidents with other vehicles in the car park
  • Accidents with other electric vehicles used to transport people around the airport
  • Accidents on trams, trains and buses used to transfer you to the plane

If you’ve been involved in a collision with any type of vehicle at Southampton airport then please call us today and we can assess the type of claim you could make.

Injuries Caused By Baggage Trolleys And Carousels

There have been many comedy sketches written over the years regarding airport luggage carousels but if you’re involved in an accident because of one it is usually far from funny and can lead to serious injuries.

If luggage is not stacked properly on the carousel it can fall on to those waiting for their own luggage and cause personal injuries and if a carousel has any damage it can cause passengers to become injured when retrieving their luggage.

This is also true if airport trolleys are not maintained or repaired properly. If you’ve become injured because of a luggage carousel or trolley at Southampton airport then let us know the details and we’ll assess your claim.

Injuries Caused By Other Luggage Accidents

Suitcases are obviously very useful pieces of equipment when travelling on holiday, but a suitcase left in the wrong place can cause you to trip or fall and sustain serious injuries (as well as ruining your holiday). If the suitcase (or hand luggage) was left in the wrong place and caused you to fall, then you may be eligible to sue the airport for negligence.

Southampton Airport Lift, Stairs, And Escalator Accidents

Other common injuries at airports come from the use of lifts, escalators and stairs. If you trip down some stairs but weren’t using the handrail then you wouldn’t be likely to seek compensation but if the handrail was damaged, inadequate or missing then you could look to a personal injury solicitor to make a claim.

The same is true if you are trapped in a lift, fall because it stops suddenly or if you trip because the lift didn’t stop flush with ground level as it should do.

Shops, Hotels And Restaurants At Southampton Airport

Here are the main shops and restaurants open to the passengers and visitors within Southampton airport for your information:

  • The Globe Bar and Kitchen
  • The Olive Tree
  • Costa Coffee
  • Moneycorp
  • WH Smith
  • World Duty Free
  • WH Smith tech express

Accidents or illnesses within these establishments may lead to a claim against the company operating them rather than the airport. This is true for staff of these shops as well as customers.

Southampton Airport Workplace Accident Claim

When you work at an airport, either for the airport itself or for one of the retail outlets based within it, you are protected by the same workplace regulations as others.

There may be more stringent security policies in place while working in an airport, but the basic protection offered to all UK employees exists for airport workers too which means, if you’re involved in a workplace accident at Southampton airport, you can claim compensation if it was caused by somebody else.

All employers have a duty of care to protect their staff which means that they should:

  • Train staff fully (and refresh the training regularly and where needed)
  • Ensure equipment is well maintained
  • Risk assess procedures and mitigate anything that could cause injury
  • Provide staff with fully compliant safety equipment and clothing where needed.

If you’ve been injured at work and believe your employer has breached any of the above, then you could seek compensation from them.

Baggage Handler Workplace Injuries

If you work as a baggage handler within Southampton airport, then you are protected by workplace regulations the same as every other employee is. Your employer should ensure you have been fully trained, are able to manually lift correctly, have machinery available to aid with heavy lifting, that all safety equipment is provided and that you have sufficient break time allowed.

You could ask Legal Expert to help with a claim if you believe your employer has breached their duty of care towards you and you’ve become injured because of the breach.

Claiming Compensation For Food Poisoning At An Airport

Many people like to get a meal prior to flying and most airports have restaurants, cafes and bars available to serve throughout the day and night. Most are large chain organisations which all have strict health and safety procedures to protect customers from food poisoning but, as with anything, if a member of staff doesn’t follow protocol then illnesses can be caused.

Food poisoning is caused when food is stored, prepared, cooked or reheated incorrectly or in unhygienic environments and can lead to serious illnesses which can affect travel plans. Some food poisoning doesn’t show symptoms until a day or so following the meal so can occur after a flight.

A more instant type of food illness that can happen is an allergic reaction. Food safety standards in the UK dictate that any allergen is highlighted to the customer prior to the sale of a product to prevent the reaction.

If you’ve suffered an allergic reaction following a meal at an airport (or if you’re claiming on behalf of somebody who was fatally injured because of an unadvertised allergen) then please call Legal Expert today for further advice.

How To Start An Airport Accident Compensation Claim

If you’re involved in an accident at Southampton airport, then there are a number of steps you could take to make any future compensation claim easier.

  1. Seek medical treatment as this will ensure you recover sooner and at the same time medical record will be created which will record your injury and the severity of it.
  2. Photograph the scene of the accident as further evidence of what caused the accident to occur in the first place.
  3. Ask any witnesses for their details so that we can gather witness statements from them at a later date.
  4. Keep copies of receipts for any financial expense that you incur because of the accident. This could include the cost of rescheduling your flight if you’re unable to travel following your accident.
  5. Report the accident either to airport staff or retail staff.
  6. Contact Legal Expert. This can usually wait until you return from your trip.

You may be put off from taking these steps as you just want to get on and enjoy your holiday or trip, but they really will increase the chances of making a successful claim much more of a possibility.

What Can I Sue An Airport For If Injured Or Sick?

All personal injury claims in the UK can be made up of a selection of different elements including general damages (the amount paid for the pain and suffering for the actual injury), care costs, medical costs, loss of earnings (and future loss of earnings), travel costs and the cost of repairing or replacing any personal property that was damaged in the accident.

The job of your personal injury solicitor is to prove, by using medical evidence, how severe your accident was. If they don’t do their job properly you may end up with less compensation than you are entitled to which is why it’s important that you choose a specialist solicitor like Legal Expert.

With any financial cost element of your claim, it is important that you provide evidence of the costs incurred such as receipts or bank statements.

Southampton Airport Accident Personal Injury Claims Calculator

You may have read online about personal injury claim calculators but unfortunately, due to the fact that every claim is unique, there’s no such thing.

We can show you the table below which demonstrates how much compensation can be awarded for different types of injury:

Edit
Type of injury Severity Further notes Range of Compensation awarded
Food poisoning n/a Symptoms that are classed as serious and last anywhere up to 4 weeks in total £7,600 and £15,300
Food poisoning or similar n/a A short term food poisoning illness that may have required a trip to the hospital £3,150 and £7,600
Neck Severe Dislocation, fracture or soft tissue damage between £36,240 and £44,630
Foot Serious A serious injury which affects either one or both of the feet between £19,920 and £31,250
Foot Moderate A moderate injury to the feet including bone or soft tissue damage between £10,960 and £19,920
Back Severe A serious injury to the back between £30,910 and £55,590
Back Moderate A wide range of injuries that include soft tissue damage and bone injuries between £22,130 and £30,910
Back Minor Sprains, strains or soft tissue damage between £6,290 and £9,970

Once we’ve discussed your case with you directly we will probably be able to give you a much better estimate of how much compensation you could claim for your injury so please bear this in mind.

How To Make A No Win No Fee Southampton Airport Accident Claim

Every case we take on is offered on a no win no fee basis as we understand that if we didn’t offer this service then many clients would be put off of claiming at all.

With no win no fee agreements, the financial risk of claiming is removed as once you’ve signed one you never have to send us a payment, whatever happens.

The agreement will specify a fixed percentage of your compensation that we will charge if we win compensation for you and if we’re successful we will retain the agreed percentage and send the rest of the compensation directly to you.

If we don’t win the case, and you don’t receive any compensation, then you don’t have to make any payment for our time or services.

We believe this is the fairest and most risk-free method of claiming compensation for personal injuries.

How Our Team Can Help You To Claim Damages For Your Injuries

As we’ve mentioned throughout this guide, personal injury claims can be complex pieces of litigation which require a specialist solicitor who understands the regulations and policies which are in place to protect claimants.

Legal Expert have been working on personal injury claims for many years and our specialists all strive to win as much compensation as our clients are entitled to.

We’ll honestly assess your chances of success, provide a no win no fee service if we believe you have a good chance of success and are available to answer any queries you may have throughout your case.

Speak To Our Team Today

Now that you’ve read this guide about claiming compensation following an accident at Southampton airport, we hope you’re ready to ask Legal Expert to represent you in your compensation claim.

If that’s the case, there are a number of ways to begin your claim:

    • Live Chat: Speak with an advisor, 7 days a week, directly from this website.
  • Telephone: Call one of the team today, for free, on 0800 073 8804
  • Email: Send a message to info@legalexpert.co.uk and we’ll get back to you at a convenient time
  • Online: Fill in our online form to begin your claim – it won’t take long to complete

Once you make contact, one of our team will listen to the details of your claim as part our free initial consultation and offer you advice on whether there is chance you’ll succeed or not.

Where You Can Learn More

Hopefully, you’ve received enough information in this guide to help you determine if you’ll make a Southampton airport compensation claim or not. Finally, here are some other resources that you may find useful:

Safety in the Air Transport Industry – a guide by the HSE about safety in airports for those who work there.

Slip, Trips and Falls – a guide about treatment and symptoms of falls from the NHS.

Airport Accident Claims – our more generic guide to accident at airports, not just at Southampton airport.

Food Allergy Claims – a more detailed look at what causes allergic reactions and how to make a compensation claim for illness caused by one.