Pret A Manger Accident Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For A Personal Injury In Pret A Manger?

Have you had an accident in a Pret a Manger? The coffee shop chain is one of the largest and most well established in the UK, having opened its first branch in London over 30 years ago. Since then, the chain has expanded across the UK and further to nine other countries. Today, the business currently runs a total of 530 outlets world wide, with the majority being in the UK.

As an operator of coffee shops and as an employer, the chain has a responsibility to provide an environment which is safe for employees to work in, safe for customers to dine in, and safe for anyone else to visit. If you were injured in an accident in a coffee shop, you could be eligible to claim compensation for any harm suffered.

To find out if you are eligible to claim damages for your accident or injury, please read our guide below. When you are ready, you can call our team on the number provided to begin your compensation claim.

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A Guide To Claiming Compensation For An Accident In A Pret A Manger

In order for you to be eligible to lodge a personal injury claim for an injury at a Pret a Manger, you will either need to have sustained an injury, or become sick (due to a condition such as food poisoning) which the coffee shop was responsible for. You will also need to have sought some form of medical care for your injuries. This could mean you visited your GP, or had to go to hospital. If you did not get proper treatment there may not be an adequate record of the injuries you suffered. This creates an official and impartial record of what happened to you, and what any long term effects may be. Remember, if you do get medical help, ask for copies of your relevant medical records. Your personal injury solicitor will be able to cite this as evidence.

What Are Accidents And Injuries At A Pret A Manger?

Pret A Manger accident claimsAnyone who has good reason to be on their premises, such as working in the coffee shop as a staff member, or visiting as a customer, or there to deliver goods, Pret a Manger have an obligation under law to make sure you are safe whilst doing so. Catering and hospitality businesses must meet minimum standards of health & safety. It is down to the individual branch and the company as a whole to ensure that these standards are being followed. Consequently, if you sustained an injury at a cafe as a result of these standards not being upheld, you may qualify to start a personal injury claim.

The most common forms of accidents or injury which could happen in different coffee shops may include the following;

  • Falls, trips, and slips: These can happen in the public areas, serving and food preparation areas, or areas used for storage.
  • Burns: burn injuries could affect a member of the public, customers, or staff. There are numerous ways in which they can happen and vary in range of severity.
  • Food poisoning: Food related illnesses. However this is an extremely rare occurrence.
  • Broken or damage furniture: tables and chairs need to be secure and stable enough for customers to use without risk of injury.
  • Other damage: If other facilities, equipment, fixtures, or fittings are damaged or in need of repair they could potentially be the cause of an injury.

To be in accordance with their health and safety obligations, Pret a Manger must ensure that the premises, and any equipment and appliances are in good working order. They must also ensure that all foods served are safe to do so. If you sustained an injury or become sick because these standards were not met, you could be able to claim compensation. Unlike some of its competitors, Pret a Manger does not operate as a franchise. Each branch is directly run by the company. This means any claims for an accident in one of their cafe’s or eateries will be made directly against the coffee shop chain. Our team are experienced in helping people to claim compensation from larger businesses across the UK. Contact us today to find out more about how we can secure you the best possible compensation settlement for your case.

Have You Suffered An Accidents At Work In Pret A Manger?

Members of staff such as baristas can injure themselves in various ways. They are working with hot foods and beverages, and a variety of hot equipment and appliances. If a member of staff has not been properly trained in how they should operate equipment, they could suffer an injury, such as a burn.

Did you suffer an accident in the workplace due to negligence on the part of your employer, or the actions of a colleague, please read our more detailed guide to workplace accident claims.

Have You Suffered Burns And Scalds At Pret A Manger Caused By Hot Foods?

Burns and scalds could be sustained by both customers and staff alike. Whilst the two groups are often exposed to different risk factors, both can be similarly injured. Coffee shops serve a limited range of hot foods, some of which are available for customers to collect straight away, others which must be requested to be heated. When transporting, collecting, or serving these foods, customers and employees are exposed to the potential risk of sustaining a burn injury. Employees should be provided with training and instruction in the best way to use any appliances they need to during the course of their work to heat food. They should also be trained in the correct way to prepare hot foods and drinks in the safest possible way. If they heat food or plates to too high a temperature, injury could result.

Burns and scalds from food preparation, or from consuming foods which are too hot can affect the hands, face, mouth and the throat. Even very brief contact with food or a plate which is too hot can cause significant injury requiring surgical care. If you suffered a burn due to hot food due to negligence on the part of your employer, or a fellow employee, you could qualify to seek damages.

Please see this NHS burns and scalds first aid guide with information on both treatment and recovery options.

Have You Suffered Burns And Scalds Caused By Hot Drinks At A Pret A Manger?

As with burns and scalds from heated foods, both employees and customers could suffer similar injuries caused by hot beverages.

Employees can be burned during the preparation of foods or whilst serving drinks. They will often have to use potentially hot coffee machines to do so. Before using such a machine, members of staff should be comprehensively trained in the correct and safe way to do this, reducing the chances of accidents and injuries, such as burns, happening.

Customer burns could be caused by you being passed a drink which is too hot and dropping it on you, drinking a beverage which is too hot to consume, or by another customer or even member of staff tripping and spilling a beverage on to you. Whilst most cafes and coffee shops do have warning about hot drinks on their takeaway cups, they should also provide protective sleeves allowing you to comfortably hold the cup.

Whether you were a customer or employee of a coffee shop, if you suffered a burn injury caused by someone else, we could help you make a personal injury claim.

Have You Had A Slip Accident While At Pret A Manger?

As with any public place or workplace, one of the most commonly seen types of accident in coffee shops and restaurants are slips and falls. They can be caused by spillages of drinks, foods dropped on the floor, or leaks from refrigeration equipment. There can also be a variety of other causes. Spillages should be cleaned up as soon as possible. If there is a leak which could cause people to slip over, warning signs should be placed around the water. Such accidents could also be caused by things being left laying around the floor, or damaged floors.

If you were injured due to a broken floor not being repaired, a leak not being sign posted, or because spillages have not been cleaned up, you could be eligible to claim compensation for any harm suffered. If you make a claim through us we will request information such as cleaning schedules, repair information, or any other information relevant to the hazard which caused your injury. We may also contact any witnesses to your accident for supporting statements.

Food Allergy Illness And Food Poisoning Claims

There have been two reported cases of people allegedly suffering fatal allergic reactions due to contaminants being present in food purchased from a Pret a Manger. The food purchased had been mislabelled, leading to it being purchased by someone who had a severe allergy to some of the ingredients.

In general people can suffer food poisoning if food has not been correctly stored or prepared, or if contaminating materials have been allowed to come into contact with them. If you became sick due to suspected food poisoning it can sometimes be difficult to prove where the offending food was purchased from. If you suffered from food poisoning, it is important to visit both a GP and get in contact with a personal injury lawyer or solicitor as early as possible to begin your claim.

In the UK the body responsible for setting and monitoring hygiene and health standards is the Food Standards Agency. You can see there guide on how to report suspected food poisoning here. We do recommend that you report your illness to the agency.

The most common symptoms of food poisoning may include;

  • Feeling and/ or being sick (nausea and vomiting),
  • Problems with your stool, such as diarrhea,
  • Cramping and stomach pains
  • General weakness and not having energy
  • Fever
  • Muscle pain plus general aches and pains

To build your successful injury or illness claim, please call our team.

What Steps Should I Take After Being Injured In A Pret A Manger?

To start your claim for an illness or accident in any setting, there are several steps which you should take. These involve collecting information and/ or reporting your accident to the appropriate person(s);

  • Photograph as much of the cause of and area around your accident as possible. Take photographs of your injury as soon as you can after it. This provides your personal injury solicitor with visual evidence of what happened to you.
  • Visit a doctor, hospital, or dentist as appropriate. When provided with treatment for and assessment of your injury, request a copy of any reports documenting the nature of your injury, what they did to treat you, and any prognosis.
  • Inform the manager of the branch, make sure that the incident is correctly logged in their accident report book, and make sure you have a copy of this log.
  • Did anyone witness your accident? If so, ask if they would be happy to serve as a witness.
  • Record any expenses that you have to meet as a result of what happened to you. These can often also be claimed back.
  • Write a note of everything which happened to you as soon as you can after the accident. You may forget details later when trying to recall events.

After taking these steps you should approach a specialist personal injury claim solicitor to help you to make your personal injury claim.

Accident And Injury Compensation Calculator

Later in this section we have included a basic personal injury claim calculator where you can see examples of how much compensation some of the most common injuries can be awarded in compensation settlements. This type of compensation is often called general damages and is awarded for the harm you have suffered physically or mentally. In addition to this, there are other forms of damages, called special damages, which you can also claim. Examples of special damages can include compensation for the following;

  • Medical costs. If you needed to pay for any medical care, and medication or any other similar costs because of the injury or illness suffered, you could claim these costs back as part of your claim.
  • Travel expenses and costs. You may have had to travel to reach medical appointments or faced increased transport costs as a result of your injury. If so, inform your solicitor and your damages claim may include compensation for these.
  • Additional care costs. If you require help around the home during your recovery you can claim for the costs of this. This could even include a relative taking time off work and losing income during this time.
  • The effect on your own income. Having been hurt in an accident which was not your fault may have affected your income, leading you to take time off work at a reduced or unpaid level.

Next, we will look at our personal injury claims calculator for accidents and injuries. How much you will be awarded will be based upon your individual injury and how bad the effect has been on you. Your settlement may vary from these amounts.

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Injury Type Severity Information Compensation
Neck Injury Severe Injuries will scale from severe soft tissue damage, fractures, dislocations, fractures or damage to discs in the cervical spine to permanent spastic quadriparesis. Up to In the region of
£148,330
Neck Injury Minor to Moderate Injuries will scale from full recovery in 3 months, soft tissue damage, exacerbated a pre-existing condition, disc lesion, cervical spondylosis to severe fractions and dislocation. Up to £38,490
Back Injury Severe Injuries will scale from disc lesions or fractures of discs or of vertebral bodies, nerve root damage to severe damage to the spinal cord. Up to £160,980
Back Injury Minor to Moderate Injuries will scale from soft tissue, sprains, strains, ligament and muscle damage to compression/crush fracture of the lumbar vertebrae. Up to £38,780
Shoulder Injury Minor to Serious Injuries will scale from soft tissue damage, frozen shoulder to significant disability. Up to £48,030
Arm Injury Severe Injuries will scale from significant disability, injuries to the elbow, fractures of the forearm, serious fractures to injuries that short fall of amputation. Up to £130,930
Arm Injury Minor to Moderate Injuries will scale from elbow injuries to fractures. Up to £12,590
Wrist Injury Very minor to Severe Injuries will scale from soft tissue injuries, sprains, displaced fractures, permanent disability to complete loss of function in the wrist. Up to £59,860
Hand Injury Serious Injuries will scale from significant impaired function to reduced 50% capacity. Up to £61,910
Pelvis/Hip Injury Minor to Severe Injuries will scale from hip replacement, hip surgery, permanent disability, fractures leading to degenerative changes, fracture dislocation to extensive fractures of the pelvis. Up to £130,930
Leg Injury Less Serious to Moderate Injuries will scale from fractures of the tibia and fibula, fracture of the femur, incomplete recovery to multiple fractures. Up to £39,200
Knee Injury Moderate to Severe Injuries will scale from dislocation, torn cartilage or meniscus, instability or deformity, permanent, limiting movement to serious knee injury and disruption of the joint. Up to £96,210
Ankle Injury Modest to Severe Injuries will scale from sprains, twists, soft tissue, fractures, ligament tears to significant residual disability. Up to £50,060
Foot Injury Modest to Severe Injuries will scale from simple metatarsal fractures, permanent deformity, leading to continuing pain from traumatic arthritis to severe degloving, extensive surgery, heel fusion. Up to £70,030
Scarring Significant Scarring Effects will be reduced by plastic surgery but will leave cosmetic disability. £9,110 to £30,090
Scarring Trivial Scarring Minor small scars. £1,710 to £3,530
Food Poisoning Serious but Short Lived Diarrhoea, vomiting, disturbance of bowel function. £9,540 to £19,200

How Do I Begin A Personal Injury Claim For A Pret A Manger Workplace Accident?

If you were in any way involved in an accident in a Pret a Manger coffee shop which has injured you or made you sick, and you feel it was due to negligence on behalf of the company the team at Accident Claims UK could help you to build a compensation claim. The right way to start your claim is to call our experienced team. We offer our potential claimants an initial assessment. During this we can ascertain the circumstances which led to your being injured. You will also have time to ask our team any questions you have about how the process of making a no win no fee claim works, such as what will you have to pay and when. If we are able to help you we may organise medical assessment for you where we can recheck your injuries. After this, we will then start work on your claim, and for many of our clients we can do so under a no win no fee agreement. Next, we shall look at how no win no fee claims.

No Win No Fee Pret A Manger Accident Compensation Claims

For the majority of the claims we handle and the people we help we are able to do so under what is called a no win no fee agreement. The simplest way to explain this type of service is to say that under such an agreement, you will only be billed for your solicitors time and services (at a pre agreed rate) if they do win your claim. The most beneficial part for many people is that they do not have to find money to pay their solicitor to begin working on their claim. This contrasts with how solicitors are usually paid, at an hourly rate.

For many people, this is the easiest way to start a personal injury claim, without facing any cost pressures.

Why You Should Make Your Pret A Manger Injury Claim With Us

We have a highly experienced team of legal specialists who have helped people in situations similar to yours get the compensation they deserved. We always put you and your needs at the heart of everything we do. We will strive to make the legal processes as easy to navigate as possible. We keep you up to date with your claims progress at every step of the way. Our team has a great track record of securing the best possible settlements for claimants.

Speak To Accident Claims UK Today

If you are ready to begin your claim, you can do so by contacting us on the following methods.

Call our team at 0800 073 8801
Email our team on Office@AccidentClaims.co.uk

We look forward to taking your call.

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Edited By Mel.