Military Negligence

Military Negligence

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When you join the armed forces, you accept that you may be encounter certain risks during your service career, it can be a dangerous profession. What you do not expect or deserve however is to be put at risk because of the MOD themselves.

Sadly, we do see several such injuries occurring, many of which could have and should have been preventable: –

Noise damage

Without question the most common injury we see. If you are on a training exercise or firing weapons on a range then there is simply no excuse for the correct hearing protection not to be supplied and used properly. Repeatedly it is not. Just firing a weapon once without the right protection can cause long term and even life changing damage.

Defective equipment/lack of equipment

There have been too many negligence stories over the years about defective or missing body armour, armoured vehicles that are more of a hindrance than help and weapons that malfunction to even begin to recount. The very least you should expect when you join the military is that you will be given the right equipment to do your job and that it will be kept in good condition. If it is not then the consequences can literally be fatal.

Cold injuries

Most of us will have heard of ‘trench foot’ at school when learning about the First World War, to think that military personnel are still suffering similar injuries in the 21st century beggars belief but that is where we are sadly. Operating in cold and/or wet conditions without the correct equipment and the correct medical attention can lead to a variety of injuries including frost bite and hypothermia.

Heat injuries

Living and working in hot conditions can be equally as dangerous as operating in the cold. If you are posted overseas then basic precautions like consistently applying sun cream are necessary to prevent any dangers of long term injury such as skin cancer. In the more short term heat stroke, dehydration and exhaustion are all too common and all easily preventable with the right precautions and, crucially, if your offices and colleagues are properly trained on how to spot and treat danger signs.

Medical negligence

Accidents and injuries happen in all walks of life. In the armed forces such injuries can be more common place simply due to the nature of the work undertaken. While the injuries themselves may not be negligent that does not mean that the treatment you receive might not be. While it is undoubtedly valiant and commendable to want to try and play down any injuries and get back to helping your colleagues as soon as you can, your officers and the medical personnel have a duty to ensure that all injuries sustained are treated correctly and that you are given time to make a full recovery, even if it is you who are the one who tries to cut corners.

Contact us today to see if we can help you make a no win no fee claim and get you the compensation you deserve.

Call us FREE on 0800 028 2060 or request a FREE call back. You can also start a claim online.