YouClaim helped this army recruit make a military accident claim. Can we help you too?

YouClaim are the personal injury compensation claim specialists and are particularly experienced at helping people to make military accident claims.

We've helped people from the Army, the Royal Navy and the RAF get the compensation they deserve after suffering a personal injury in their line of work.

An army recruit tells his story

One of the people that came to us after being injured was an 18-year-old army recruit from Manchester called Mike. A promising footballer, from a young age the teenager had set his sights on an army career with the infantry and had passed his Phase One training with flying colours.

It was during the next part of his training at Catterick in North Yorkshire that he suffered a serious leg injury when falling off a high obstacle during an assault course. The PTI in charge of the session had failed to demonstrate how to tackle the obstacle properly and there was no assistance for any recruits that got into trouble.

Falling from height and landing awkwardly, the youngster suffered a double break to his lower right leg, snapping both the fibula and tibia. The break was so bad that the bone protruded through the skin and his leg was literally bent double.

Medics were called and the traumatised soldier was rushed off to hospital where doctors immediately operated. Mike's personal injuries were so extensive that there was a risk his leg might have to be amputated but several hours of surgery were eventually successful in saving the limb.

Although his leg was saved, the injury was so severe that his army career was over before it had really begun. The operation had left his right leg slightly shorter than his left, resulting in a distinct limp and making running awkward and painful. He was discharged from the army and found himself back on civvy street, searching for a job and unable to do the thing that he'd always wanted to do.

Making a compensation claim can help

Upset and angry at how his dream job had been snatched away from him because of the failings of a PTI, Mike decided to find out about making a personal injury compensation claim and so logged on to the internet.

He found the YouClaim website and was impressed that we specialise in helping current and former service men and women make military accident claims. He also liked the fact that our panel of lawyers contained personal injury solicitors who were former members of the armed forces and so were more than adept at pursuing compensation claims against the Ministry of Defence.

Mike called YouClaim on 0800 10 757 95 and explained his situation to one of our friendly and knowledgeable claims advisors, asking a few questions too and finding out more about how we could help him make an accident claim.

Pleased with what we could offer and the way we explained everything in plain and simple English, he asked us to pursue his injury claim using our panel of experienced solicitors.

Expert personal injury solicitors

We then spoke to one of the ex-military personal injury solicitors on our panel and he agreed to take the case on on a no win, no fee basis. 

All that remained for the 18-year-old to do was attend a medical with a local independent medical expert so that the extent of his injuries could be verified. The solicitor arranged this and the medical was brief, confirming that the personal injuries sustained in the assault course fall were indeed as extensive as the military accident compensation claim insisted.

And that was all the youngster had to do. The personal injury solicitor handled everything else, notifying the Ministry of Defence that a claim was being made against them and preparing the necessary evidence to prove that the PTI had been negligent.

Stress-free claims process

The MOD quickly realised that the PTI had not done his job properly and so they, as his employer, were responsible for Mike's injuries and his subsequent discharge. They wanted to avoid the costs and negative publicity of a lengthy court case which they were likely to lose anyway and so decided to offer a settlement.

The sum they initially offered was, after consultation with the former recruit, refused by the personal injury solicitor because he felt that the claim deserved a larger amount of money. This thinking proved correct and several weeks later the MOD made an improved offer of just over £90,000.

Mike and his compensation solicitor discussed the offer and decided to accept it; not long after, a cheque for the full amount arrived through the post. As promised, his solicitor didn't take any of the damages for himself but instead claimed his costs back from the losing party, in this case the MOD.

So that was the end of Mike's military claim for compensation. The whole thing hadn't cost him a penny and there were absolutely no repercussions from the army or the MOD. He used the money he had received to secure his financial future and went to college to train as a plumber.

Despite the horrific injuries he suffered, he still enjoys a fairly active life and, thanks to the help of a specialist arranged by his personal injury solicitor, he's even been able to get back on the football pitch to show off his skills.

And none of it would have been possible if he hadn't picked up the phone and called YouClaim on 0800 10 757 95.

Have you been hurt in a military accident?

If you've suffered a personal injury as the result of a military accident that was caused by someone else's negligence, you could be in a position to make a compensation claim with YouClaim.

It doesn't matter what branch of the services you belong to, or did belong to, and here at YouClaim we've helped people who have been hurt in a whole range of incidents. To name but a few we've helped chefs hurt in galley accidents, mechanics injured on air bases and artillery gunners who have suffered hearing damage.

Get in touch to make a military claim for compensation

To find out more about making a compensation claim, get in touch with our friendly and experienced claims advisors today.

Because military life abroad and at home doesn't always fit in with the UK's nine to five routine we've opened up our phone lines so you can call us any time of the day or night on 0800 10 757 95.

If it's more convenient, we can call you back. We can ring you right now if you fill out a claim assessment form or we can get in touch at a time that's more convenient for you if you complete the request a call back button on the right.

Alternatively, you can chat over the internet to a member of our claims team, asking any questions you might have and clearing up any queries. With call time often limited whilst serving abroad, we find that many servicemen and women use this method to get in touch.

So, whether you'd like us to call you, you want to call us yourself on 0800 10 757 95, or you'd prefer to chat to someone online, make sure you get in touch with YouClaim if you've been injured unnecessarily whilst serving your country.

We're here to help and we're the military accident compensation claim specialists.