We can assist eligible claimants with every type of personal injury in and around the Watford area. All the relevant information has been set out for you here, but our team is always on hand to answer any of your questions.

Road Traffic Accident Claims

Clarendon Road is one of the main arteries through Watford, with hotels, the Watford Palace Theatre and a number of office spaces. With Watford Junction railway at the top of Clarendon Road, it sees frequent commuter traffic.

Common incidents where road traffic accident claims could be made include:

• Collisions where traffic has emerged from side roads like Shady Lane or the various office parks without due care and attention, or by skipping red lights.
• Speeding vehicles colliding with pedestrians leaving bars and hotels, such as the Leonardo Hotel.
• Bus drivers on the busy High Street failing to check their mirrors for passing cyclists before moving off.

Accidents At Work

Watford is home to a number of thriving businesses and office parks covering a range of sectors, including hospitality, finance, legal services and entertainment. One of the main landmarks and a major source of employment is the Warner Brothers Studio on the outskirts of Watford.

Employees have the right to work in a safe environment and when employers fail to take reasonable steps to protect their workers, injuries can occur and accident at work claims could be made. For example:

• You had not received the necessary manual handling training and therefore attempted to lift a box that was much too heavy, leading to a major ligament tear in your shoulder. 
• Damaged or uneven flooring in a storage room at a restaurant could result in a serious trip and fall.

Public Liability Claims

Shops, pubs and bars, theatres, and railway stations are all considered publicly accessible areas. More generally, roads, pavements and pedestrianised streets also fall under this category. Aside from retail units, Watford has a number of public parks and green spaces including the Radlett Road Playing Fields and Cassiobury Park.

Those in control of such areas, called occupiers, need to ensure that any visitors to their premises are kept safe. This means maintaining walkways and emergency exits, ensuring any relevant safety barriers and warning signs are in place and that all fixtures such as lights, signs and furniture are safe for use by the general public.

When this doesn’t happen, visitors could be injured, perhaps seriously. To give a few examples of when public liability claims could be made:

• A broken tile at a splash pool had not been repaired despite the local council being informed of the potential risk to children. Your child was playing with friends when they tripped on the broken tile, hitting their head on the ground.
• You were out with friends for a meal in one of Watford’s many restaurants. A lack of maintenance inspections resulted in the loose bannister rail on the restaurant’s steps not being repaired. While heading down the stairs, the rail gave way and you fell, badly injuring your leg and elbow. 

Medical Negligence Claims

Medical negligence claims can be made when a patient suffers avoidable harm due to a medical professional not providing the correct standard of care. Watford is well supplied by the Watford General Hospital, the private Spire Bushey Hospital as well as community health centres like Langley House.

The medical professionals’ duty of care applies in both private and public healthcare settings, so wherever you are treated, you have the right to receive healthcare that is up to standards. Incidents falling below the expected standard that you claim compensation for include:

• Mistakes during surgeries.
• Being prescribed the wrong type or wrong dosage of medication. This can be especially dangerous if you are accidentally given medication to which you are allergic.
• Failures in testing that result in medical misdiagnosis and conditions remaining undetected.

Criminal Injury and Assault Claims

Watford is generally a safe town, with an overall crime rate of 36.6 per 1,000 residents. Of this figure, there are 34.8% of these were violent crimes. As with any town, violent incidents do happen and the victims of these crimes can seek compensation for their injuries. 

There are 3 main ways that criminal injury and assault claims can be made:

• A claim made directly against the perpetrator. This usually isn’t the most viable option as your attacker may not be identified or not have the money to compensate you.
• Vicarious liability claims can be made against organisations such as your employer, or occupiers like restaurants, bars and gyms. Vicarious liability means another party was responsible for your safety and failed to protect you. A simple example would be if you had reported a colleague’s threatening behaviour to your manager but no actions were taken and you were later attacked by them.
• A criminal injury claim made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

The CICA is an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice that was established to give the victims of violent crimes a way of claiming compensation when all other avenues have been exhausted or are unavailable.

In order to claim through the CICA, you need to show that you were injured in a violent crime that occurred in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) or another relevant location (such as a ship registered in Great Britain). 

To discuss whether one of our No Win No Fee solicitors for Watford could help with your claim, speak to an advisor now.