A lot of people would say that the people who are serving in the military are at a great risk of injury, but that they knew of those risks when they enlisted and that they should accept the inevitable in the event of an injury. It is true that being a part of the military is a difficult and dangerous job to the norm.
When you first go into the military you will be aware of the many dangers involved, but that does not mean that there are not times when the MoD fails to properly protect the servicemen, or that there are not times when equipment malfunctions and a service man is put into greater danger than they should be in.
MoD responsibility
The MoD is supposed to minimise the risk that military personnel encounter. They cannot totally eliminate all risk because military personnel work with live ammunition, and in times of conflict they are being shot at, and more. The MoD can do everything in their power to reduce the risk as much as possible.
The MoD may not be able to fully protect Military Personnel
When it comes to combat, or daily life in the military, there are some aspects of that life that are out of the control of the person serving and why sometimes claims are brought against the Ministry of Defence.
Some of the main reasons people have filed armed services accident claims include:
- Equipment failure that resulted in injury
- Lack of attention to a medical issue that resulted in further injury to the individual
- Ill fitting uniforms including but not exclusive to footwear
- Improper training before handling dangerous equipment
- Improperly trained individual harming others while using dangerous equipment
- Unrealistic schedules that cause physical harm to the individual
Can you win an armed services claim?
When it comes to dealing with the military, and their faults in injuries that you might have sustained it is not the same as filing personal injury claims against non-military entities. There is a good chance that you can win your armed services accident claim if you have the proper evidence, and you hire the proper solicitor who has experience in dealing with these claims.
How much do Solicitors charge?
It is almost impossible to tell you how much the solicitor will charge for this type of representation because each case is different. For the most part a solicitor charges according to how many man hours they have to put into a case, and for any monetary amounts they have to pay for filing fees, and things of that nature.
In many instances a solicitor will not charge for the initial consultation. They will listen to all of your evidence and will advise you as to whether or not they think proceeding is in your best interest.
Some solicitors will not ask for you to pay any money until after the case has been settled. In these instances the solicitor will establish a percentage of the awarded sum that they will wish you to pay them. This is usually around 25 percent of the awarded sum. Some solicitors will not ask for any payment from you if they cannot win the case for you.
What to bring to the first visit with the Solicitor
When you decide to consult a solicitor there are a few things you should bring to your first visit. These include:
- Any written or picture evidence that you have that supports your claim that you have suffered an injury due to military involvement
- The names and contact information of anybody that witnessed what happened to you, and the names and contact information of everyone that might have knowledge of what happened to you
- The date the incident happened
A complete recounting of what happened including when it happened, where it happened, what you were doing prior to the event, what you did following the event, and who might have witnessed the event, and how the event might have been avoided - Medical reports supporting your claim of personal injury
- The names and ranks of all of your immediate superiors