Military Accidents
Military accidents can be more complex when it comes to compensation claims than those resulting from accidents in other types of workplace, as the known potential for military accidents to happen is sometimes considered as part of the job and an understood risk. If you've been injured during training as opposed to in combat, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries.
Military accidents: what’s involved in making a military claim?
But although military accidents had previously been a loophole in work accident claims, Army, Navy and RAF employees, along with civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), have been able to claim compensation for military accidents that occur during training since 1987. To make claims for military accidents, like any other personal injury claim, it needs to be shown that someone was at fault and the accident would have been prevented if it wasn’t for their negligence.
Military personnel who have suffered an injury as a result of their employer’s negligence are therefore entitled to make a military claim for compensation. One exception to this is claims made for asbestos exposure or other injuries, where the asbestos exposure or cause of injury occurred before 1987.
Who can make a military claim?
Those employed by the MoD have similar employment rights to those employed in any other role, meaning that, similar to if an employee was injured in an office or factory, when a member of the armed forces is injured due to someone else’s negligence, they have a right to make a military claim for accident compensation.
When can a military claim be made?
All claims for military compensation should be made within three years of military accidents occurring, although it is usually better if the claim is made as soon after the accident as possible.
If you have suffered an injury in a military accident while in action, in training or off duty, you may be entitled to compensation. Call us today or claim online, or read our page on armed forces compensation to find out more about making a military claim for compensation.
