Welcome to our guide for people seeking information on injured at the zoo claims. A fun day out at the zoo or safari park can be suddenly ruined if an accident happens. Sometimes, the hazards that can harm are caused by others failing to take appropriate care. So this guide will explore your options for claiming personal injury compensation for a zoo accident, whether you are a visitor or an employee.
We’ll begin by defining who might have eligible grounds for compensation claims when injured at the zoo. Common types of zoo accidents are discussed and we also explore the types of evidence to help bolster a claim. After this, we look at what you could be compensated for and how the amounts are calculated.
Our final section goes through the advantages of appointing a No Win No Fee solicitor to handle everything. Our solicitors have decades of expertise dealing with compensation claims like these and could potentially help yours. Read on, or find out more now:
- Call us anytime on 0800 073 8801.
- Get an instant answer to your zoo accident claims questions through the live chat option.
- Start a claim online.
Jump To A Section of Our Guide
- What Are Injured At The Zoo Claims?
- What Are Common Zoo Accidents?
- How Do You Claim For Zoo Accidents?
- How Much Compensation For Being Injured At The Zoo?
- Make A Zoo Accident Claim Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- More Resources About How To Make A Personal Injury Claim
What Are Injured At The Zoo Claims?
Injured at the zoo claims are a personal injury compensation claim. These are a legal action seeking compensation against a third party who caused an injury. In the case of zoo accident claims, the third party would generally be the zoo. However, to seek compensation, you need to prove zoo negligence occurred.
Under tort law, negligence is defined in the following ways:
- A duty of care obligation applied at the moment of injury. A duty of care is a legal obligation imposed on an individual or organisation to ensure reasonable care is taken to avoid causing foreseeable harm and injury.
- The responsible party breached this duty.
- The person experienced harm as a consequence.
For a personal injury claim to be considered eligible, all points must apply. Next, we look at two areas where zoo negligence could occur.
Accidents In A Public Place
All those in control of a place open to the public (the ‘occupier’) are legally responsible for applying a duty of care to the public as per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This law requires them to take action to implement reasonable measures to prevent the public from suffering harm when legally on their premises. In a zoo setting, a breach of this duty could result in the following:
- The zoo operator failed to regularly check animal security measures. Because of this, a visitor leaned on a fence which gave way and they fell into a bear enclosure, suffering serious broken bones and animal bites.
Accidents At Work
A duty of care is owed by all employers to take practicable and reasonable steps to prevent their employees from being injured at work. This is detailed under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HASAWA). Zoo accident compensation may apply if the employer, in this case, the zoo, fails to adhere to this duty of care and an employee is harmed. For example:
- The zoo management failed to provide an employee with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and this led to the worker cutting their hands badly whilst repairing facilities at the zoo.
To learn more about injured at the zoo claims and to find out if you have good grounds to seek compensation, call one of our friendly advisors.
What Are Common Zoo Accidents?
There are various ways that a zoo accident claim for injury could arise. Some examples:
- Accidental contact with dangerous animals results in bites, scratches or kicks.
- Slips trips and falls on unattended wet floors or areas without warning signs cause musculoskeletal injuries like sprains, strains and fractures.
- A concussion on poorly indicated enclosure ceiling heights or other structures.
- Burns from hot surfaces in the zoo cafeteria or restaurant.
- Infection from areas of the zoo that should have been sanitised. For example, in areas where animals can be fed by members of the public, there should be sanitiser provided.
- For zoo workers, there can be a risk of accidents with cleaning agents and close contact with animals.
Can You Claim For A Fatal Zoo Accident?
Zoo accidents can be very serious and in some instances be fatal. If a loved one lost their life after coming into direct contact with wild animals or other types of life-threatening injury, you could seek compensation.
Under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 1934 (LRMPA), for the first 6 months only the deceased’s estate can make a claim for the deceased’s pain and suffering. As well as any financial losses or medical costs they experienced prior to their death (general and special damages). Addtionally, the estate can claim on behalf of the dependents.
If no claim has been made on their behalf by the deceased’s estate (within the first 6 months following the death) under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (FAA), certain qualifying relatives can make a claim for how the death has impacted them.
Call our advisory team to learn what relatives are eligible to seek compensation after a zoo accident claimed the life of a loved one.
How Do You Claim For Zoo Accidents?
In the event of an accident at the zoo, the first action to to seek medical attention and alert a member of zoo staff. After the event, if you are seeking compensation from a zoo operator you believe was responsible for your injuries, you need to assemble evidence of this. The following may help:
- CCTV footage from the zoo that caught the accident.
- The contact details of other witnesses. A solicitor acting on your behalf (if you appoint one) can approach these people for a supporting statement at a later date.
- Mobile phone footage and photos of the visible injuries and the animal or hazard that caused them.
- If you are an employee, get a copy of the accident at work book entry.
- Copies of supporting medical records about the injury.
Please speak with a friendly team member to discuss the evidence that can support injured at the zoo claims.
How Much Compensation For Being Injured At The Zoo?
Successful injured at the zoo claims can compromise of up to two heads of loss. General damages compensate the person for the physical pain and psychological suffering they have endured (such as post-traumatic stress disorder) as a result of the accident in a zoo. It also reflects any permanent disability and overall negative impact on the person’s life.
Those involved in the calculation of general damages might use medical records and compare them with documents like the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Below is an excerpt from this publication which provides award bracket guidelines for various types of harm:
Compensation Guidelines
| Area of Injury | How Severe? | Award Guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple forms of severe injury and special damages | Severe | Up to £1 million plus | This award is reflective of multiple injuries and the special damages awards made alongside for lost earnings, medical costs and professional care. |
| Head | (a) Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | Examples in this bracket typically involve brain damage so severe that the person cannot interact at all and needs round-the-clock care. |
| Hand | (d) Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Finger | £75,500 to £110,750 | Cases that reduce the grip in the hand to the point of little use. |
| Hand | (h) Moderate | £6,910 to £16,200 | Penetrative wounds, crush injuries and soft tissue lacerations. |
| Knee | (a) Severe (ii) | £63,610 to £85,100 | Leg fractures that continue into the knee joint causing constant pain. |
| Severe Leg Injuries | (iii) Serious | £47,840 to £66,920 | Comminuted and compound fractures requiring lengthy periods of treatment. |
| Neck | (b) Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 | Dislocations and fractures that may require spinal surgery. |
| Psychiatric Damage - General | (b) Moderately Severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | There are significant problems coping with life, education, work and relationships. However, the prognosis is more optimistic than in more severe cases. |
| Back | (b) Moderate (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 | Soft tissue injuries and disturbed ligaments and muscles causing backache that speeds up or worsens pre-existing conditions. |
| Ankle | (c) Moderate | £16,770 to £32,450 | Ligament tears and fractures that cause trouble standing for long periods or walking on uneven ground. |
Importantly, these are only guidelines as each claim will differ. Also, the first entry does not come from the JCG.
Special damages are a second head of loss that reimburses the claimant for expenses and financial harm caused by their injuries.
You would need to present documented evidence of the losses such as receipts, bank statements, invoices and other proof of related expenses. Some examples of special damages include:
- Medical expenses and bills related to the zoo accident and injury.
- Proof of a drop or loss in earnings caused by the zoo accident (such as your payslips).
- Receipts for the care provided to you by others.
- Tickets and proof of essential travel to appointments.
- Invoices and estimates for alterations needed at home or to your vehicle to deal with a permanent disability.
If you’d like guidance and information on the compensation you could be awarded for your injured at the zoo claim, please speak to advisors.
Make A Zoo Accident Claim Using A No Win No Fee Solicitor
Our personal injury solicitors can provide eligible claimants with an array of excellent services when seeking compensation. They understand that solid evidence is an excellent way to strengthen your claim and will approach witnesses for supporting statements. Also, they can help gather supporting evidence, take care of all court correspondence and calculate a suitable amount of damages to aim for.
Furthermore, our solicitors can offer these services through a type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This offers numerous benefits:
- There are no initial costs to instruct the solicitor to start work on your claim.
- No solicitors fees apply for services going forward.
- There are no fees that apply for completed solicitors services if the claim fails.
- Should the personal injury claim be successful, you need to pay your solicitor a success fee. It’ll be taken by your solicitor from the compensation that has been awarded. This percentage is also subject to a legally restricted limit. Thus, ensuring you benefit the most from the payout.
If this sounds interesting, why not take a moment to see if a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor could handle your zoo accident claim? Simply connect with our advisory team to learn more:
- Call us anytime on 0800 073 8801.
- Get an instant answer to your question through the live chat option.
- Start a claim online.
More Resources About How To Make A Personal Injury Claim
As well as this guide to injured at the zoo claims, these offer more reading:
- Read about a personal injury compensation claim after a dog bite attack here.
- Also, here is information on injury claims against those with public liability insurance.
- More details on a claim for a fatal accident here.
External resources:
- Read about when to call 999 from the NHS.
- In addition to this, here you can find a useful symptom checker also from the NHS.
- Also, some information on keeping zoo animals from GOV.UK.
In conclusion, thank you for your interest in injured at the zoo claims. We hope it has helped provide you with the personal injury claim information you needed. Please get in touch if we can help further.
