Work Accident Claims
If you have had an accident at work, our local injury lawyers can help you claim compensation for your injuries.
Read moreMaking an injury claim as a self-employed worker
If you are self-employed and have suffered an injury at work, you may still be entitled to make an accident at work compensation claim.
We are a claims management company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
If you are self-employed, you are generally responsible for your safety and working environment. Nonetheless, if you complete tasks for other people, in another workplace or with equipment belonging to someone else, liability for an accident at work could shift to a third party. In such cases, you may be eligible to make a compensation claim against your employer or the company you work for.
Self-employed workers can suffer various accidents while doing their job, such as slips, trips and falls, electrical shocks, machinery accidents and road traffic collisions. These can cause a wide range of injuries, from mild sprains and strains to severe fractures and head trauma.
While you may not be entitled to benefits such as sick pay during recovery, you can include any lost earnings in a self-employed accident at work claim.
To find out more about your rights as a self-employed worker or to see if you can start a claim, call 0800 470 0474 today or enter your details here to request a call back.
By submitting this form you agree to be contacted by our partners. Find out how we handle your data in our privacy policy. With no win no fee you typically pay 25% of your compensation if your claim is successful, but the fee can vary. Termination fees may apply if you fail to co-operate with your solicitor.
Most people work as employees, meaning they work for an employer under an employment contract. Employees have extra employment rights that do not apply to the self-employed. These include Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), protection against unfair dismissal and Statutory Redundancy Pay.
While there is no official definition, a person is self-employed if most of the following statements are true:
If most of these apply to you, this guide will explain how you can make a self-employed injury claim if you had an accident while doing your job.
If you are self-employed, you have the same legal rights as an employee when it comes to providing services from someone else. If you are working for an employer or on a company’s premises, the law is there to support you, and they are responsible for your safety. Their duties are stated by several legislations, such as:
If the company you are doing work for has breached their duties towards you and you were injured, you might be eligible to make a self-employed accident at work claim.
If you are self-employed and have suffered an injury at work, the easiest way to determine eligibility for compensation is through a free consultation with a legal adviser. To be able to make a claim, you must be able to prove that:
A duty of care will be established based on the legislation mentioned above. If there is sufficient evidence to prove a breach of duty and the injuries you sustained, an experienced solicitor will help you begin a claim on a no win no fee basis.
An insurance company will pay most injury claims for an accident at work. Which party’s insurance will depend on the circumstances of your accident, but it could include any of the following:
In some cases, such as if you are assaulted at work or you were involved in a road traffic accident with an uninsured driver, your claim could be handled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) or the Motor Insurer’ Bureau (MIB).
Self-employed workers are not always afforded the same benefits as employed counterparts and, as such, can be vulnerable if they suffer a workplace injury. While they may not be entitled to benefits such as sick pay, self-employed workers can still claim compensation from their employer where appropriate.
Examples of negligence that could lead to a self-employed injury claim include:
Self-employed people can claim compensation for a wide range of accidents resulting from negligence or unsafe conditions, such as:
Like any other worker, you can suffer a wide range of injuries in an accident at work when self-employed. These include, but are not limited to:
Whatever type of injury you suffered, please get in touch if you want to find out whether you have a valid self-employed accident claim.
Making an injury compensation claim for an accident as a self-employed worker follows the same process as any other claim. After a free consultation with an experienced legal adviser, you will be paired with a personal injury solicitor who is right for your case. They will help you gather the necessary evidence to support your claim, as detailed below.
Once your injuries are fully assessed and your solicitor has worked out your compensation award, they will send a claim notification form to the other party. If they admit fault, you can begin to negotiate a settlement.
If liability for the accident is contested, your injury lawyer will be prepared to issue court proceedings and take your case to trial if necessary. That is rarely the case, as more than 96% of all claims are settled without going to court. If your claim is successful, you should receive your payment within four weeks.
If you’re self-employed and you are eligible to claim compensation for a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault, you will need various types of proof to support your claim, such as:
Your solicitor will help you gather the relevant evidence to make a strong claim and guide you through the case from start to finish to achieve the highest possible compensation award.
Unfortunately, if you are self-employed and unable to work due to injury or illness, you cannot claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from your employer. However, you might qualify for other benefits such as Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
If you also make a successful self-employed accident at work claim, your solicitor can help you set up a personal injury trust so that your compensation award will not affect your benefits.
If self-employed and injured at work, you have three years to make a claim, starting from the accident date. Alternatively, the time could start to run from when you became aware of your injuries and that they are due to someone else’s negligence.
Under the Limitation Act 1980, there are some exceptions that may apply to this rule:
The amount of compensation you could receive for your work accident will depend on two types of losses included in your claim:
Special damages are calculated from evidence such as receipts and medical bills. General damages, on the other hand, are based on the guidelines from the Judicial College. According to our compensation calculator, they could range from a few hundred pounds for a minor injury such as mild whiplash to upwards of £450,000 for a very severe brain injury.
If you have a valid self-employed accident claim, the solicitors we work with will not ask for any upfront fees to work on your case. They will offer you a no win no fee agreement, which means you do not risk losing a single penny if your claim is unsuccessful.
Here is how this arrangement works:
Furthermore, you can also take out After the Event (ATE) insurance, which will cover all the litigation costs if your case fails, including the defendant’s.
To learn more about how you could claim compensation for an injury at work if you are self-employed, get in touch with a legal adviser today by calling 0800 470 0474 or using our online claim form. They will offer you a free consultation with no pressure or obligation to go ahead with a claim.