By Stephen Burke. Last Updated 18th April 2024. Visiting the zoo could be considered a fun activity, whether you are taking children to see the animals or visiting for yourself. However, if you or any member of your party are injured in a zoo accident, you may not have had such a good time there. Likewise, if you suffer an accident while you are working at the zoo, it would not be a pleasant experience. If the zoo accident you were in led to injuries, and the zoo could be seen as being at fault, then you may be able to claim some compensation for the injuries you’ve suffered. Here, we discuss injury compensation claims for zoo attacks, slips, trips and falls and more. We also offer an alternative to an injury claim calculator, which you might find useful in getting guidance on how much you could claim.
Whether you were injured in a slip, trip or fall because the pathways were not made safe, or you were injured at the zoo because you were working there and your employer did not take steps to make your workplace as safe as could be considered reasonable, you may be able to claim not just for your zoo injury, but also for any financial losses or costs you’ve had to suffer as a direct result of your accident. Within the guide below, we will cover some of the common questions about the safety of zoos, as well as giving some information about zoo attacks that have happened leading to people being injured at the zoo.
We’ll also go through the process of making a claim for zoo accidents, explaining what could be claimed for, how long you could have to claim and more. If you require further information on anything contained within this guide, then you could call us at any time on 0800 073 8801. But before you do, why not take a look below to see whether your question has already been answered.
Select A Section
- When Can I Claim For An Injury At The Zoo?
- Common Accidents And Injuries Which Could Happen In A Zoo
- Injury Claim Calculator – Zookeeper Employee Claims
- Special Damages For Injured At The Zoo Claims
- No Win No Fee Injured At The Zoo Claims
- Essential Resources
When Can I Claim For An Injury At The Zoo?
While you are visiting a public place, such as a zoo, the controller of that area owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This legislation establishes that controllers of a public space have a duty to ensure the reasonable safety of anyone who visits it.
If you have been injured in an accident at a zoo, then you may have grounds to claim compensation if the following applies:
- You were owed a duty of care.
- This duty was breached by the party that owed it.
- You were harmed as a direct consequence of this breach.
For more advice on eligibility requirements for injured at the zoo claims, please contact our advisors for free today either online or by calling us.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For Injuries At The Zoo?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, the time limit for personal injury claims is typically three years, beginning from the date the accident occurred.
This time limit can work differently under certain conditions. It will be frozen indefinitely if the injured party lacks the mental capacity to make their own claim. A litigation friend could make a zoo injury claim on the injured party’s behalf while the time limit is frozen. If this does not happen and the injured party later regains this mental capacity, then they will have three years to start their own claim from the day of recovery.
If a child is injured in a zoo accident, then the time limit for starting a claim will be put on hold until they turn 18. A claim could be started on the child’s behalf by a litigation friend prior to their 18th birthday. Alternatively, the injured party will have three years to start their own claim from the date of their 18th birthday.
For more advice on the eligibility requirements for injured at the zoo claims, you can contact our advisors for free either online or by calling us.
Common Accidents And Injuries Which Could Happen In A Zoo
There could be a wide range of injuries and accidents that could happen within a zoo. We will go into some of these in more detail below but in general, accidents that could happen in zoos could include:
- Animal bites to the public
- Animal scratches to the public
- Slips, trips and falls by the public
- Zoo keeper death
- Zoo keeper injury via bites or scratches
- Disease or infection caused by animal contact
- And more…
Injury Claim Calculator – Zookeeper Employee Claims
Those who successfully make injury compensation claims for zoo attacks, slips, trips and falls and other types of accidents caused by negligence may want to get an idea of how much their claim could be worth.
When calculating injury compensation claims, the unique facts and circumstances of the case can influence how much compensation is awarded. All claims are different. However, in general terms, if a claim is successful, the claimant could receive general damages for the pain and suffering experienced, both mentally and physically as a result of their injuries.
As well as this, they could receive special damages to compensate for any out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from the injury. Special damages could include a loss of income, travel and medical expenses, and care costs, for example. We cover these in more detail in the next section.
Injury Claim Calculator
It could be possible for those injured in zoo attacks to get a rough idea of how much their injuries could be worth from an injury claim calculator. However, we’ve provided an alternative.
The table you see below contains figures from a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines. Solicitors can use the figures from this document to help them when valuing the general damages portion of claims.
| Type of injury | Approximate Settlement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries And Special Damages | Up to £1,000,000+ | If you've sustained multiple serious injuries then you may receive a compensation payout that covers all of these plus any related special damages, such as loss of earnings. |
| Quadriplegia | £396,140 to £493,000 | AKA Tetraplegia. An injured party receiving a payout within the middle of this bracket would not be in pain but would be fully aware of their condition. Life expectancy would be 25 years + and they would be able to speak, hear and see, but require assistance with bodily functions |
| Back Injuries - Severe (i) | £111,150 to £196,450 | The nerve roots and spinal cord have been severely damaged. |
| Arm Injuries - Less Severe | £23,430 to £47,810 | A significant amount of recovery will have or is expected to take place after suffering substantial disabilities. |
| Leg Injuries - Less Serious (i) | £21,920 to £33,880 | Fractures that have made a reasonable recovery but leave the person with a limp, defective gait and impaired mobility. |
| PTSD - Moderate | £9,980 to £28,250 | The affected party will have largely recovered. Some effects of the condition may remain but will not be grossly disabling. |
| Neck Injuries - Moderate (iii) | £9,630 to £16,770 | If a pre-existing condition has been exacerbated, or if new soft tissue injuries have been sustained and there is a vulnerability to future trauma to the area. |
| Moderate Hand Injury | £6,910 to £16,200 | Lacerations, crush injuries and penetrating wounds. Award would depend on whether any disability remained. |
Please only use the figures as a guide. Your actual settlement amount can vary depending on your unique circumstances.
Call for more information.
Special Damages For Injured At The Zoo Claims
Along with the above damages that could be made for your injuries, you could also claim for monetary costs and losses you’ve suffered as a result of your zoo accident. If an accident at a zoo has caused you to lose out on wages, for example, then you could include these as special damages. Other costs that could be claimed for might include medical costs, travel costs and care costs, if these arose as a direct result of your claim.
It is not just immediate costs that could be claimed for, however. You might also wish to claim for future losses of earnings and care if you are injured to the extent that you require care in the future, or cannot return to work because of your injuries, for example.
No Win No Fee Injured At The Zoo Claims
Our advisors could potentially connect you with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors if you have valid grounds to start a zoo injury claim.
Injured at the zoo claims can be supported by our solicitors under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). A benefit of such an agreement is that you won’t need to pay your solicitor for their services before your claim has begun or while it’s being processed. Also, you won’t need to pay your solicitor for their work if the claim fails.
If your zoo injury claim succeeds, then your solicitor will take a success fee to cover their payment. This means that your solicitor will take a small and legally capped percentage of the compensation you are awarded. The legal cap ensures that you keep most of the personal injury compensation.
To learn more about working with a No Win No Fee solicitor or other steps of the claiming process, get in touch with our advisors for free today. You can reach our team by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8801
- Start a claim with our online form.
- Or you can use our 24/7 live chat service.
Essential Resources
Our Guide To Trips, Slips And Falls – If your zoo accident has involved a slip, trip or fall, this guide could help you.
Accidents At Work – If you were injured while working at the zoo, this guide could offer some useful information when it comes to making a claim against an employer.
Injured In The Car Park? – This guide could offer some useful information for you if you’re considering making a claim for an accident that happened in the zoo car park.
HSE Information For Zoo Operators – This HSE publication shows the considerations that should be made when managing a zoo.
Qualification Criteria For Zookeepers – This page reveals the framework required to become a qualified zookeeper.
Police Incidents At Dudley Zoo – Here, you can see a response to a Freedom of Information request concerning police incidents in and around Dudley zoo.
Thank you for reading our guide on claiming if you are injured at the zoo.