Posted: 27/02/2015
Pop star Madonna fell off the stage during her performance at the 2015 Brit Awards earlier this week, prompting significant media coverage. She tumbled down a set of stairs and landed awkwardly, apparently after a dancer tried to remove a cape she was wearing at the start of her routine. It took mere seconds before Madonna became a global trending topic on Twitter. While many online were concerned for the star, there were of course others who were keen to make light of the situation with pictorial memes flooding internet pages with phrases such as 'Have you had an accident at work that wasn't your fault?' – a well-known slogan used in many personal injury claim advertisements.
Fortunately, Madonna publicly announced that she was fine after the incident and it was a case of wardrobe malfunction. While the public interest in the fall was for an eclectic range of reasons, it is perhaps important to highlight that falls and accidents at work can happen at any time and in a variety of situations.
Accidents in the workplace, or illnesses and diseases contracted as a result of employment are particularly distressing because of the fear that they may affect the injured person’s livelihood as well as their health. Workplace injuries can range from catastrophic - including spinal and brain injuries, or those causing long term health problems - to comparatively minor or temporary ones.
An employee is owed a duty of care by their employer. The employer is responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect an employee’s safety and avoid the risk of him or her sustaining an injury while carrying out work activities. In order to succeed in a personal injury claim, you must prove that negligence has occurred.
Pursuing claims for accidents at work is by no means a simple thing to do but it is important that individuals seek legal advice to help them make an informed decision. At Penningtons Manches, our personal injury specialists provide tailored advice in work related claims to address the needs and concerns of each client according to their own particular circumstances and to achieve the best possible outcome.
If you have been injured following an accident at work, please contact us on 0800 328 9545 for guidance as to whether you could bring a claim.
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