Newcastle International Airport accident claims
By Olivia Turini. Last updated 21st September 2021. Welcome to our Newcastle International Airport accident claims guide. Regardless of whether you are catching a flight, arriving or working at Newcastle International Airport, you are entitled to a safe and healthy environment wherever possible. If you are involved in a Newcastle airport accident and it was a result of a breach of health and safety that wasn’t your fault, then a personal injury claim could be made for Newcastle airport accidents. Who the liable party is will be determined by the cause of the accident.
To show you more about this and how the personal injury claims team at Accident Claims UK could help you, we have put this guide together to cover the important things you may need to know. If you are still unsure about anything in this guide after you have finished reading it, then our advice and consultation team are available 24/7 and can answer any questions about making a claim for a Newcastle International airport accident. If you wish to speak to them, just call 0800 073 8801 or use any of the other contact details listed at the bottom of this page.
Time limits for making Newcastle International Airport accident claims
If you’re thinking about making a personal injury claim, did you know that there are time limits that could affect your eligibility to start a claim? If you want to begin legal proceedings for compensation, the usual time limit to do so is up to 3 years after your accident. If you leave it too long, your eligibility to do so could expire if this time limit has already passed. However, there are some circumstances in which you could still be able to claim. An example of this is if you weren’t aware that your injures were a result of third-party negligence until more than 3 years after you sustained them. In such cases, the time limit may apply from the date that you acquired this knowledge instead.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Claims For Accidents At Newcastle International Airport
- What Could Be An Accident At Newcastle International Airport?
- UK Aviation Industry Health And Safety
- Common Accidents Which Could Happen In An Airport
- Trips Or Falls In Passenger Or Work Areas
- Airport Baggage Accidents
- Airport Escalator / Lift Facility Accidents
- Airport Passenger Bus And Ground Transport Accidents
- Accidents At Shops Or Restaurants In Newcastle International Airport
- Airport Employee Workplace Accidents
- Airport Baggage Handler Workplace Accidents
- Calculating Compensation For Personal Injury Claims
- Special Damages Claimed In Accident Claims
- No Win No Fee Claims For An Accident At Newcastle International Airport
- Why Choose Our Travel Accident Claims Team?
- Start Your Airport Accident Claim
- Essential References
A Guide To Claims For Accidents At Newcastle International Airport
Welcome to our Newcastle International Airport accident claims guide. Newcastle International airport is a major airport in the UK that handles tens of thousands of flights and millions of passengers every year as well as employing thousands of staff. This guide is intended to inform any passenger or staff member who has been injured in a negligent accident at Newcastle airport of their rights when it comes to seeking compensation.
We will cover some of the types of accidents that might potentially occur at an airport and how they could justify making a compensation claim. Then we will briefly go over how different types of damages are awarded and how Accident Claims UK could assist you with your claim.
What Could Be An Accident At Newcastle International Airport?
Before we explore Newcastle International Airport accident claims, let’s first take a look at what these accidents might look like and how they could happen. The owners and operators of an airport have a responsibility for the health and safety of the people who use or work in their facilities. If a third party who owes a duty of care is responsible for an accident due to a breach of this duty then the victim if injured may have the basis for a compensation claim. A compensation claim may be possible;
- If a third party are proven to have owed the claimant a duty of care
- If they are proven to have breached that duty of care
- If the claimant came to harm as a result.
This guide is intended to help those who have been hurt in an accident that was not their fault but if for example, you had a flight delayed or cancelled at Newcastle International airport and you wish to claim compensation, then the Civil Aviation Authority’s guide might prove useful.
This guide isn’t intended to explain how to make claims for accidents that happened while you were on board an aircraft but rest assured claims can be made for those types of accidents as well. Airline companies are responsible for the well-being of their passengers and could be held liable under the Montreal Convention if passengers suffer a breach in the duty of care. Please note that a tour operator may be liable for accidents that occur on board an aircraft while travelling as part of a package holiday. If you were hurt through a lapse in health and safety while you were on board a plane, call us for advice and guidance on what to do next.
UK Aviation Industry Health And Safety
Accidents involving aircraft at or near Newcastle Airport are few and far between and no fatalities have been recorded as a result of plane-related Newcastle Airport incidents. Besides, as previously mentioned, this guide shall focus on accidents that could potentially occur at the airport including within terminal buildings and in other airport premises.
Among UK airport workers, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports 2 fatal workplace injuries recorded in the period between 2009/10 and 2013/14, across all employments not just air transport hundreds of injuries cause staff to take up to a week off work are recorded every year.
Newcastle International airport is the 11th busiest airport in the UK and it handles tens of thousands of flights and millions of passengers every year. In 2018, 53,740 flights and 5,334,095 terminal and transit passengers passed through Newcastle International airport.
Accidents Which Could Happen In An Airport
Types of accidents that have the potential to happen at airports will be listed and discussed in the following sections of this article. Briefly, they include:
- Slips, trips and falls caused by hazards left around the airport property that should have been dealt with.
- Accidents when handling baggage caused by negligence in the provision of trolley and carousel facilities.
- Accidents involving the airports, escalators, lifts and moving walkways if not maintained.
- Accidents involving the airport’s vehicle fleet, i.e. shuttle buses, trams, luggage carts, mobile airstairs and so on.
- Accidents in the shops and restaurants, such as suffering an allergic reaction or contracting food poisoning due to cross-contamination of food.
- Accidents at work, such as suffering a manual handling injury due to lack of training.
To learn more about Newcastle International Airport accident claims made for trips or falls, please see the next section of our guide.
Trips Or Falls In Passenger Or Work Areas
An airport could be considered to have breached its duty to the health and safety of its passengers and staff, and therefore possibly liable for paying compensation in the event of a slip injury due to a spillage that was not cleaned up in a timely manner or warning signage not used. The airport operator has a responsibility to minimise the risk of a slip, trip or fall accident on their premises.
That is why floors must be regularly swept, mopped and kept clear of tripping hazards like wires, packaging and boxes. Wet sections of the floor need to be marked out with a sign, as to steps that someone might trip on. Carpets or floor tiles that have come loose or are uneven need to be repaired or replaced.
This responsibility extends outside the terminal building, the pavements and car parks operated by the airport are their responsibility as well. Ice or potholes can cause trips and slips as well. If someone falls after the airport had already been made aware and they failed to take timely action on the issue, then they could be made to pay compensation for any avoidable injuries suffered.
Airport Baggage Accidents
Moving baggage around can be hazardous if there are heavy loads and the airport is not mindful of safety. One risk is the threat of accidents when using the airport’s baggage carousel in the arrivals lounge. The carousel should not be operated unless it has been correctly maintained and there are working emergency stop buttons. Accidents causing severe injuries could be caused if the carousel is in a state of disrepair and the conveyor belt is able to pull someone in by their hair or loose clothing, or if someone falls on, and the emergency stop system cannot be engaged in time. Staff must also ensure that luggage is loaded onto the carousel carefully, if it is stacked onto the conveyor belt haphazardly then items could fall off and hurt the people using it.
Around the airport, you will likely find baggage trolleys about the place which can be used by staff or rented by passengers, for moving their luggage around the airport. These could cause accidents if they are not used responsibly. Injuries could occur if a member of staff isn’t paying attention to where they are going and run into someone while moving them around, or if a member of staff stacks more luggage onto the trolley than it can safely handle. Trolleys must also be checked to make sure they aren’t faulty before they can be considered safe for passengers or staff to use.
Airport Escalator / Lift Facility Accidents
Newcastle International Airport accident claims may also be made for injuries sustained as a result of faulty escalators or lifts. With the amount of use they will see, it is vital that close attention is made to maintaining and servicing lifts, escalators and moving walkways. Lifts, escalators and moving walkway facilities could become unsafe if they aren’t regularly checked and repaired when faults are found. If the steps on an escalator or a moving walkway are uneven then people using them could suffer trips and falls. People could also fall if their movements are jerky or if they become prone to sudden stops and starts.
All of these facilities contain moving parts, which could cause accidents by snaring people’s clothes or hair. If you got hurt in an accident on an escalator or moving walkway or in a lift at Newcastle airport that could have been prevented call our accident claims team, to see who could be liable as sometimes the maintenance of such facilities is subcontracted.
Airport Passenger Bus And Ground Transport Accidents
Because airports are quite large, some airport passenger facilities might be quite some distance away from each other. So, for example, the car park might be located quite a walk away from the terminal, and the plane which you are boarding may be quite far from the terminal. This is why many airports operate an airport passenger bus service, or a tram service, a shuttle bus service dedicated to helping passengers get around more easily.
Accidents could potentially happen as with many other vehicles that use roads and other forms of transport links. These could be road traffic accidents in which a vehicle has a collision with another vehicle or it could be a collision due to poor maintenance of vehicles, it could be due to weather hazards, road hazards, third party negligence of other road users. Injuries could be sustained without having a collision as well, such as slips, trips or falls caused by the state of the floor or missing handrails on board the vehicle.
Some vehicles can actually be operated inside the airport’s terminal buildings, these will usually be small electric motor powered carts used by staff to get around the airport and to provide lifts to passengers and their luggage. Driving a vehicle indoors in a busy area like an airport requires care. If you got hit by an airport cart at Newcastle airport or suffered some other accident involving one of the airport’s transport vehicles, please call our accident claims team to discuss whether you could make a compensation claim.
Accidents At Shops Or Restaurants In Newcastle International Airport
Newcastle Airport offers its passengers a range of shops and restaurants to allow passengers to have a meal or do some duty-free shopping. This may enhance the travelling experience of most passengers. Such operators of environments must ensure that their facilities are free from hazards that could cause an accident to happen. Slips, trips and falls, as mentioned before, could happen if hazards such as spillages, food or items are left on the floor without being cleared away.
However, there are some risks that are almost unique to a shop or restaurant environment. Customers in a shop could be put in danger by goods which have been stocked haphazardly on the shelves as they might fall on them and cause an injury, or by shelves which are faulty and cannot support the weight of the goods on them.
A restaurant has to take responsibility for the safety of the food and drink they serve to their customers. A lax attitude towards hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination could cause an outbreak of food poisoning or an allergic reaction, either of which could be serious enough to require hospital treatment.
You may have grounds to make Newcastle International Airport accident claims if you have suffered an allergic reaction or a case of food poisoning due to food that had not been stored or cooked properly or was allowed to come into contact with other food sources. The claim would likely be made against the company which owned and operated the shop or restaurant rather than against the airport.
Airport Employee Workplace Accidents
It isn’t just passengers who could have the right to claim compensation from an airport if they suffered a workplace injury that they think should have been prevented. Airport staff too are entitled to safety when at their place of work.
The right to a safe workplace is enshrined by law under the Health And Safety Act 1974. As an employer, the airport operators have an obligation to make sure you and your colleagues are not put at any unnecessary risk of injury.
If you’re injured in a work-related accident and you can prove that your employer’s negligence was to blame, you could have grounds to make Newcastle International Airport accident claims. If so, Accident Claims UK could help you get compensation for your suffering. Some of the types of incidents that could injure airport staff have been touched on by other sections of this guide, such as slips, trips and falls, or the section on baggage handler accident claims below this one. Other issues which could be grounds for a compensation claim could potentially include:
- Being the victim of an assault at work if there was not enough security.
- Being the victim of sexual harassment and workplace bullying, when managers were aware of the situation but no actions take,
- Suffering an accident with vehicles or machinery used in the airport as they had not been repaired.
- Suffering from mental health issues such as stress or anxiety due to pressure and overwork.
- Developing food poisoning from meals provided to staff due to lapses in food health and safety.
- Exposure to harmful chemicals, such as aviation fuel without the necessary PPE.
Airport Baggage Handler Workplace Accidents
The RIDDOR report produced by the Health and Safety Executive, the national government body responsible for workplace health and safety, shows that lifting and handling injuries are the most injury kind suffered by UK airport workers. Injuries sustained working in handling luggage could include:
- Bruises and cuts sustained from falling baggage.
- Fractures sustained from falling baggage.
- Pulled or twisted muscles.
- Repetitive strain injuries.
- Muscular-skeletal disorders.
- Crushing injuries sustained from accidents with the machinery, such as mechanical loading ramps, luggage carts and so on.
There are a number of measures which employers of baggage handling staff could take to ensure the risk of accidents and injuries is minimized, these could include:
- Ensuring that staff receive scheduled breaks of the correct length.
- Ensuring that staff don’t handle goods heavier than what they can safely lift.
- Ensuring that staff are trained in the use of any machinery which they handle.
- Ensuring that any machinery in use is serviced and maintained correctly.
If you suffered an injury in an airport baggage accident while working in loading or unloading luggage and you believe that your employer was negligent towards your health and safety, then there may be a case to be made for compensation. Call our advice team today to find out if our no win no fee solicitors can help you win compensation.
Calculating Compensation For Personal Injury Claims
At this point in our Newcastle International Airport accident claims guide, let’s look at how to calculate compensation amounts. As a general rule, the greater the severity of the injury and its effect on you, your ability to work, your independence and your general quality of life, the greater the amount you’ll receive in compensation. The amount awarded for each degree of severity of an injury or health issue could be determined under the Judicial College (JC) Guidelines.
We have included a few examples from the JC Guidelines in the personal injury compensation claims calculator which you can see below. Remember that just because you might see a description of an injury that matches yours doesn’t necessarily mean that will be the amount you receive. You may first need a medical exam to prove that you do have that injury and then special damages could be factored in.
| Injury | Severity | Amount | Comment on Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain Damage | Less Severe | £14,380 to £40,410 | Injuries will have made a good recovery but may still have persisting symptoms such as impaired concentration ability, memory loss, and mood swings which may affect personal life and ability to work in the future. |
| Minor Brain or Head Injury | Minor | £2,070 to £11,980 | There will be little to no brain damage associated with these head injuries, and the bracket may change according to how long symptoms persist for, if there are any headaches present, and on the severity or the original injury. |
| Neck Injury | Severe (i) | In the region of £139,210 | This bracket covers injuries that include incomplete paraplegia, or permanent spastic quadriparesis. Injuries here may also result in a person not seeing any improvement in neck mobility despite wearing a collar for a number of years and who also suffers persistent severe headaches. |
| Neck Injury | Minor (i) | £4,080 to £7,410 | This bracket mainly covers soft tissue injuries, but can vary greatly according to persistence of symptoms, the type of treatment needed, and over all effect on a person’s life. In general, injuries in this bracket will be expected to heal in one to two years. |
| Back Injury | Severe (iii) | £36,390 to £65,440 | This bracket covers fracture to vertebrae and discs, as well as other soft tissue injuries that lead to chronic conditions. These injuries will commonly result in persisting symptoms of pain, discomfort depression, loss of sexual function, impairment to mobility as well as posing a risk to future employability. |
| Back Injury | Minor (i) | £7,410 to £11,730 | Again, covering soft tissue injuries, this bracket can also change according to severity, treatment needed, how long symptoms take to pass, as well as affect it has on other parts of the body. Injuries in this bracket are usually expected to recover without surgery in two to five years. |
| Hip and Pelvis Injury | Severe (i) | £73,580 to £122,860 | Injuries in this bracket will include extensive fractures which affect the lower back that may require spinal fusion, as well as damage to organs near the hips and pelvis such as the bladder and bowels. This could lead to impairment of these organs, as well as affect women by presenting issue when they are in labour. |
| Hip and Pelvis Injury | Moderate (ii) | £11,820 to £24,950 | This bracket commonly covers injuries that require a hip replacement and can include cases where a hip replacement may be possible in the future because of the injury, and there will usually be persisting symptoms. |
| Leg Injury | Severe (i) | £90,320 to £127,530 | This includes injuries that are so severe, it leaves a person no better off than if the leg had been amputated entirely. This can include degloving injuries, or fractures that have required extensive bone grafts to treat. |
| Leg Injury | Less Serious (i) | £16,860 to £26,050 | This includes fractures and serious soft tissue injuries that do not perfectly heal. They may result in symptoms that persist such as a permanent limp, trouble walking, as well as cosmetic deformity and nerve damage. |
| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | Moderately Severe | £21,730 to £56,180 | Recovery with special help. However the effects may go on to have a bearing on all aspects of life and cause significant disability. |
| Food Poisoning | Serious but short-lived food poisoning (ii) | £8,950 to £18,020 | For two to fours weeks or so diarrhoea and vomitting. Remaining discomfort and disturbance of bowel function and impact on sex life and enjoyment of food over a few years. |
To learn more about special damages that could be claimed to reflect financial losses as a result of your injury, please see the next section of our Newcastle International Airport accident claims guide.
Special Damages Claimed In Accident Claims
Injuries don’t just affect a claimant’s health, they can also have a knock-on effect on their financial situation by causing them to miss days off work while they recover, and can sometimes require the victim to spend a lot of money on treatment. These expenses will be tallied up as part of your compensation so that your financial situation can recover from the effects of the injury. So long as you can provide proof in the form of receipts, contracts and copies, you can claim for:
- Travel expenses
- Medical expenses
- Loss of earnings
- Care fees
- Money spent on medication
- Home adaption
- And other costs you may have incurred as a result of your injuries
To learn about the No Win No Fee services offered by our panel of personal injury lawyers, please see the next section of our Newcastle International Airport accident claims guide.
No Win No Fee Claims For An Accident At Newcastle International Airport
Some people may worry about how they can afford a solicitor in the first place. With Accident Claims UK you won’t have that problem when making Newcastle International Airport accident claims. All of our panel works on a no win no fee basis. That means that the payment of your solicitor’s fees may only come out of the compensation you are awarded for a successful case, and you won’t be asked to pay the fees if you made a valid claim that was rejected. To find out more about how this works, speak to one of our advisors using the contact details below.
Why Choose Our Travel Accident Claims Team?
Our accident claims team offer you the opportunity to make Newcastle International Airport accident claims with expert legal support without great upfront financial expense thanks to our no win no fee claim agreements and our offer of free legal consultation. The support you will receive will be based on up to thirty years of experience working hard to win compensation cases.
Start Your Airport Accident Claim
Start your Newcastle International Airport accident claims with us today, by ringing, scheduling a call, or sending us an email:
Essential References
Here are some relevant links that could be of further use to you relating to Newcastle International Airport accident claims:
- Accident Claims Solicitors Covering Newcastle Upon Tyne
- How To Claim Compensation For Injuries Caused By An Accident At An Airport
Airport Safety Resources
- Aviation Safety Network
- Health and Safety Executive – Air Transport Industry
- Civil Aviation Authority – Airport Safety
- Civil Aviation Authority – Delays And Cancellations
Thank you for reading our guide on how to make Newcastle International Airport accident claims today.
Article by JY
Edited by PM