eye injury claims

Accidents resulting in eye injuries can happen to people of any age. There are over 120,000 eye injuries every year in the United Kingdom. However statistics reveal that just over half of all eye injuries are sustained by people under the age of 25 and that many of the accidents leading to personal injury happen when engaged in sports or recreational activities. It may be surprising to note that 90 % of eye injury accidents during sport could have been prevented by wearing the appropriate protective eyewear.In what circumstances might sports or recreational accidents give rise to personal injury claims ? Surely, if people are voluntarily engaged in sports which carry a risk of injury, then there can be no possibility of making claims for personal injury after accidents ?Well, the answer is quite straightforward and it is that if accidents leading to injury are the fault of someone else, then that someone should be obliged to pay compensation to the victim.For example, if during a game of squash at school, a squash ball hits a player in the eye serious injury may result and a claim would be made against the school's insurer's for failure by the school to provide protective goggles and proper instruction and / or supervision.Similar accidents may occur during school cricket matches where protective helmets are not provided. A cricket ball in the eye can do serious damage indeed.Clearly, many different types of accidents, and not just sports accidents, may lead to eye injury. Some of the most horrific injuries are sustained by drivers and front seat passengers involved in road traffic accidents when not wearing seat belts. The driver and passenger may be thrown headlong through the car windscreen in such accidents and facial injuries including to the eyes are caused by the impact with the windscreen as well as through contact with hundreds of fragments of glass as the windscreen of the car is shattered. Thankfully, this is less of a likelihood than some years age as the wearing of seat belts has become obligatory and habitual for most people.Compensation awards for claims for eye injuries following accidents can range from £1000 for injuries which heal quickly right up to £200,000 in instances of total blindness combined with deafness.If accidents result in eye injury, in all but the most minor cases, perhaps where a foreign body has lightly embedded itself in the eye and may be gently flushed out, it is imperative to obtain emergency medical help as soon as possible. A patch or a a cup should be placed over the eye to prevent pressure being put on the cornea which is extremely delicate and susceptible to scratching.

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