Mining is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Even today in a developed country such as the United Kingdom which has extensive health and safety regulations governing working conditions and practice, a disproportionate number of miners have suffered from and continue to experience varying levels of occupationally related ill health. The medical conditions they have contracted as a result of their employment in the mining industry include amongst others, ‘coal miners’ knee’, medically known as bursitis, pneumoconiosis or ‘black lung’, vibration white finger (VWF), industrial deafness and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition some ex-miners continue to live with the disabling legacy of a severe injury caused by an underground accident.
The main government funded mining industry specific compensation schemes covering many of the above conditions have now closed to further claims, but some claims still remain unsettled or have resulted in settlements, notably with regard to VWF claims, that fail to reflect the true loss of ‘services’ to the claimants family, defined as the claimants reduced ability to carry out such tasks as DIY, gardening, decorating as a result of their impaired health. In the latter instance a claim for additional damages might be able to be made and in the former instance decisive intervention in the bogged down process by a specialist personal injury solicitor might successfully expedite the matter and result in a timely and satisfactory conclusion for an ex-miner who could well be waiting on the settlement to allow him to experience a reasonable quality of life.
Our personal injury claim solicitors specialise in miners’ compensation claims and are able to offer specialist assistance in making such a claim or taking over an existing claim which is currently back-logged in one of the government’s compensation schemes. If it is three years or less since you were diagnosed with a medical condition which you suspect was caused by your past employment in the mining industry you might be able to make a miners compensation claim. The personal injury solicitor you retain will ensure that in making your claim all available medical evidence, working history documentation and expert testimony is marshalled to ensure the complete validity of the link between cause and effect regarding your medical condition and your past employment – usually the key to the successful outcome for claims of this type.
Although it is possible for the claimant to make their own claim or attempt to speed up the processing of an existing claim, the presence of an experienced legal professional doing this for them will maximise at a stroke their chances of achieving the most successful outcome possible, whilst at the same time lifting the considerable burden of interacting with an unfamiliar and bureaucratic compensation claims system.
That interaction, for a claimant without professional legal help, can be lengthy and arduous, including as it well might copious form filling, application making and medical tests, all of which, at the end of the day, might not even guarantee the awarding of a settlement that is rightly the claimants. Isn’t it only fair that an ex-miner disabled or injured as a result of the negligence of their employer has the maximum opportunity to achieve a settlement that truly reflects the extent to which their life has been adversely affected, when they make their miners compensation claim? We think that it is.
Thinking of making a Miners’ Compensation Claim? Contact us now
Our solicitors offer FREE initial phone advice, a FREE first appointment and no win no fee agreements – so you don’t need to worry about paying legal costs. So if you want to know how to claim compensation, simply contact us today
• Call our compensation claim team now on 0800 1404544, or
• Fill in the enquiry form below.
