Manhole and Utility Cover Claims

At The Injury Lawyers we get a great number of claims stemming from uncovered manholes or defective utility covers causing people injury. This is probably due to the fact that they are common in our streets, and if they are not maintained and repaired when necessary, they can easily cause someone injury.

There are a number of ways an injury can be caused by a defective manhole cover – I have given a couple of common instances below that we see here at The Injury Lawyers:

1. Tripping over a defective utility cover– if the utility cover is raised, unsecured, or tilts with your weight, and as a result causes you to trip or fall, you may have a valid claim for personal injury. We have further advice on our website regarding trips, slips and falls.
2. Falling down an uncovered manhole – If a manhole is left uncovered, it should have warning signs surrounding it and it should be adequately cordoned off. If you have fallen down a manhole which failed to have any of the aforementioned, then you may have a strong personal injury claim.

Claims such as those described above can be difficult as responsibility for the area could fall down to a number of different organisations – for example it could be the local council, a water company, or gas and electricity company; hence why it is increasingly important to get an experienced, specialist personal injury lawyer to deal with your claim.

We realise here at The Injury Lawyers how difficult it can be separating and differentiating between the sea of personal injury firms out there – I have therefore set out below some benefits you can look out for in law firms:

Important benefits to ensure you maximise your compensation are:

1. Get 100% of your compensation – ensure that your no win no fee agreement reflects the fact that your will receive all of your compensation with no deductions.
2. No costs for you to pay – solicitors costs is time your solicitor has spent in running your claim. These costs can run into the thousands of pounds. You should not have to pay any of these costs irrelevant of whether you win or lose your claim.
3. Service standards – do not be afraid to ask what service or client care standards are in place at a law firm – if they have standards in place they should be proud to tell you all about them.

Additional benefits:

1. Medical packages – many law firms such as The Injury Lawyers offer to arrange private medical treatment such as physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic assistance at no cost to their clients.
2. Free home visits – if you have been badly injured and wish to speak with someone face to face then many firms will come out to you free of cost.