A Guide To Unloading A Delivery Lorry Or Van Accident Claim

In this guide, we will explain who could be eligible to make unloading of a delivery lorry or van accident claim. Moreover, we will examine the amount of compensation that could potentially be awarded for different injuries sustained at work due to an employer breaching their duty of care.

Unloading a delivery lorry or van accident

A Guide To Unloading A Delivery Lorry Or Van Accident Claim

Your duties at work may include unloading a vehicle. If you are injured whilst carrying out your work, you may suffer different types of injuries. However, not all incidents will mean a claim can be made. Some injuries can happen, and no one be at fault. When injuries are caused due to an employer being negligent, then you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim for an accident at work.

Every employer owes their employees a duty of care at work. If they breach this duty, causing you to sustain an injury, you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim. However, it is important to know that you also have a responsibility in the workplace to comply with any training provided and behave sensibly.

To begin your claim today, please contact our team of advisors for free. They can provide you with confidential legal advice regarding your claim for an accident at work. Also, if they find that you may have a valid claim, they could put you in contact with one of our personal injury claims solicitors.

You can:

  • Call Accident Claims UK today on 0800 073 8801.
  • Or you can contact us online.
  • Alternatively, use our live chat feature to speak to us.

Select A Section

What Are The Hazards Of Loading And Unloading A Van Or Lorry?

Any type of lifting, moving or carrying objects will generally first need to be risk assessed. Where risks cannot be removed, they must be mitigated. Manual handling training is vital for those tasked with such work duties. When risks are not mitigated, and training is not provided, it opens up ways for employees to be injured in accidents that could be avoided.

Loading or unloading a van or lorry could potentially pose various risks. For example:

  • A back injury from lifting an object that is too heavy
  • An object falling from the van or lorry could strike a worker on the head.
  • A worker could sustain a crush injury while unloading the vehicle.
  • If lifting incorrectly, a worker could sustain a manual handling injury.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provide loading and unloading guidance which recommends taking certain precautions, including:

  • Workers should park the vehicle on firm and level ground.
  • The area should be clear of pedestrians and anyone not involved in the loading or unloading.
  • Moreover, workers should secure loads so they do not fall or slide around.
  • Employers must consider the necessary safety equipment.

Liability For Loading And Unloading A Delivery Vehicle

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) employers have a duty of care towards their employees. This means that employers must take reasonably practicable steps to keep their employees safe at work. These steps include carrying out risk assessments to identify possible hazards and carrying out maintenance within the correct time frame.

Furthermore, an employer must take precautions to prevent loading or unloading accidents from taking place, such as giving workers relevant training and providing any safety equipment deemed necessary.

Therefore, you could be eligible to make unloading of a delivery lorry or van accident claim if the following are true:

  • You can show that your employer owed you a duty of care at the time and place of the accident.
  • They breached this duty of care.
  • And therefore, as a result, you were injured.

Manual Handling Accidents When Unloading A Van Or Lorry

As an employee, you may have to lift loads onto or off of lorries or vans. Therefore, it is vital that you are fully trained in the correct lifting techniques. This can be achieved through manual handling training. Manual handling accidents can result in different kinds of injuries, including musculoskeletal injuries such as a slipped disc. This could impact your quality of life.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 sets out a hierarchy system for dealing with the risks of manual handling and also places a duty on employers to ensure staff who carry out such workplace duties are trained accordingly.

Various causes could result in a manual handling injury, including:

  • A lack of proper training.
  • A lack of the appropriate lifting equipment
  • Not enough breaks provided

How Common Are Manual Handling Accidents?

The HSE provides statistics. According to their stats on non-fatal injuries at work, handling, lifting or carrying accidents accounted for 18% of non-fatal accidents in the workplace. These statistics are calculated from employer reports under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) in 2020/21.

Contact one of our advisors to discuss making unloading a delivery lorry or van accident claim for a manual handling injury.

Forklift And Loading Vehicle Accidents

It is important that the health and safety standards outlined by legislation are implemented and upheld in the workplace.

Various accidents could result in a forklift injury, including:

  • A forklift truck topples over because it was incorrectly loaded or the ground was uneven.
  • A load is incorrectly secured to the forklift, causing it to fall.
  • A collision.

If you would like to discuss making a forklift truck accident claim, please contact our advisors.

Types Of Injury You Could Suffer

You might be eligible to make unloading of a delivery lorry or van accident claim if you were injured due to employer negligence.

Below are examples of various injuries you could suffer in an unloading van accident:

Please contact us today to enquire about claiming compensation for a serious or minor injury at work.

Calculating Compensation For Unloading A Delivery Lorry Or Van Accident Claim

If the unloading of a delivery lorry or van accident claim is successful, the settlement could include up to two potential heads of claim:

  • Firstly, general damages can compensate you for the physical and mental pain and suffering that your injuries at work caused.
  • Secondly, special damages can compensate you for certain expenses and financial losses resulting from your injuries. This could include past and future loss of earnings, care costs and travel expenses. You must keep evidence of financial losses, such as receipts, payslips and travel tickets. 

To create the table below, we have used the 16th edition Judicial College guidelines (JCG), updated in 2022. Personal injury solicitors, and other legal professionals, can use this document to help them value general damages. However, the table should be considered as a guide. Each case is determined by its unique factors.

Edit
Injury Notes Compensation Amounts
Injury Resulting from Brain Damage – Very Severe (a) The person may still have some ability to follow basic commands. However, there will be minimal, if any meaningful response to the environment and a need for full time nursing care. £282,010 to £403,990
Injury Resulting from Brain Damage – Moderate (c)(iii) The person’s ability to work is reduced, their concentration and memory will be affected, there will be a small risk of epilepsy and the amount on which they depend on others is limited. £43,060 to £90,720
Neck Injury – Severe (a)(ii) The injury will result in disabilities of considerable severity and will usually involve harm to discs in the cervical spine or fractures of a serious severity. £65,740 to £130,930
Neck Injury – Moderate (b)(i) The injury will cause severe immediate symptoms and may require spinal fusion, such as fractures or dislocations. Also, chronic conditions usually involving referred symptoms will fall into this bracket. £24,990 to £38,490
Hand Injury – (c) The person will suffer the total or effective loss of one of their hands. £96,160 to £109,650
Back Injury – Severe (a)(iii) The injuries, such as soft tissue injuries, disc lesions or fractures of vertebral bodies or discs, give rise to chronic conditions. Although the person receives treatment, disabilities will remain. £38,780 to £69,730
Back Injury – Moderate (b)(i) The injuries may cause residual disability of a lesser severity than in the bracket above. £27,760 to £38,780
Arm Injury – (b) The injury, for example serious fractures of a single or both forearms, will result in the person suffering from permanent and substantial disablement. £39,170 to £59,860
Toe Injury – Severe (c) This bracket includes severe toe injuries caused by crush accidents. There may be amputation of toes, other than the great toe. £13,740 to £21,070
Shoulder Injury – Moderate (c) The person may have a frozen shoulder causing discomfort and a limitation of movement. The symptoms will persist for around two years. Also, this bracket includes soft tissue injuries with symptoms that persist for longer than two years and are considered more than minimal. £7,890 to £12,770

The table does not include brackets for special damages. Please feel free to contact our advisors for advice on how much compensation you could be eligible to receive.

Start A No Win No Fee Unloading A Delivery Lorry Or Van Accident Claim

Please contact us today to see if you can begin your unloading a delivery lorry or van accident claim. If our advisors find that you could have legitimate grounds to make a personal injury claim, they could connect you with one of our experienced No Win No Fee solicitors.

When entering into a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), a type of No Win No Fee agreement, you don’t pay for a solicitor’s services in the event the claim is unsuccessful. Therefore, there are no upfront or ongoing payments to make for these services.

In the event of a successful claim, a solicitor will take what is called a ‘success fee’ from the compensation. This is a small legally capped percentage.

To make an enquiry, please:

  • Call our helpline on 0800 073 8801 to speak with an advisor.
  • Or you can use our live chat feature.
  • Alternatively, contact us online.

Explore the following links for more information:

Our guides:

External pages:

Information on a slipped disc, from the NHS

An NHS guide to back pain

An HSE guide to reducing the risk of injury, when carrying out manual handling activities

Thank you for reading our guide to making unloading a delivery lorry or van accident claim.