Military Personal Injury Claims

Bringing a Military Personal Injury Claim

Whether the consequences of an accident are inconvenient or catastrophic, our personal injury team provides the prompt, responsive and sympathetic service you need to obtain your compensation as speedily and successfully as possible. We have helped clients bring claims for injuries caused through defective equipment, military training accidents and road traffic accidents.

We have considerable experience of claiming compensation against the MoD and other organisations for accidents suffered by military personnel. We have helped serving members of the RAF, Army, Navy and Reserve Forces, as well as retired personnel and family members. We also have an ongoing relationship with the British Armed Forces Federation.

Inquests for Military Personnel

We have represented families at Inquests to help them understand thecircumstances surrounding the details of their loved ones.  Most recently Adam Wilson represented families at a week-long inquest into the events surrounding the death of four soldiers who were killed in a Snatch Land Rover in Afghanistan.

Read the story as featured on the BBC, Times and Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/troop-training-and-equipment-inadequate-says-coroner-1918731.html

Types of Military Personal Injury Claim

There are various circumstances in which military personnel can bring a claim for compensation as a result of a military accident or injury:

• Training accidents and unsafe working practices
• Injury caused by unsafe or defective military equipment
• Injury arising out of unsafe or defective military accommodation
• Deafness
• Fatal accidents
• Road traffic accident
• Clinical negligence

The law concerning personal injury claims against the Ministry of Defence

Since 1987 the Crown Proceedings (Armed Force) Act 1987, has allowed military personnel to claim for personal injury sustained during service if the MoD failed in their legal ‘duty of care’ or health and safety duties.

Injuries sustained during an active operation or ongoing combat cannot be claimed for because they are covered by ‘combat immunity’. However these situations are not always clear cut and examination of the circumstances should always be considered.

Military Claim Time Limits

A strict time limit of 3 years after an accident applies to most claims for compensation. You should ask for legal advice as soon as possible after an accident or becoming aware of health problems resulting from your military service. Evidence from witnesses and documentary evidence is much easier to find sooner rather than later after an event. Anyone under 18 at the time of an accident has until their 21st birthday to make their claim.

We have over 80 years of experience claiming compensation for accidents ranging from life-changing brain, head and spinal injuries, limb loss and fatal accidents to minor sprains and fractures. We are able to help with ensuring you will receive the necessary treatment and rehabilitation as well as claiming compensation for your injuries. The cost of any future assistance and care for those with severe injuries can also be claimed.

Speak to one of our expert solicitors about your military claim

Please call 0800 916 9046, email enquiries@rjw.co.uk or use the short online enquiry form. Our dedicated personal injury solicitors operate from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Cardiff and Edinburgh and can offer immediate and accessible representation anywhere in the UK.  We also offer a free initial consultation to evaluate the circumstances of your claim and help you understand whether or not you have a case.