Armed Forces Day is an annual event allowing the public the chance to show its support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces, from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.

This year it fell on Saturday 24^th June 2017 and there were many events held both locally and nationally.

Whilst we conjure images of soldiers parading with marching bands, there is however a darker side to their work which can lead to serious or even fatal injury.

The Courts have ruled that service personnel can make personal injury claims like any other employees. They have two ways of claiming – one is a standard personal injury claim and the other is through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Indeed, they are able to claim against both and the compensation received from the scheme is simply deducted from the PI award.

Injuries on the battlefield are an obvious basis for a claim and the government is currently consulting on whether the right to claim under such circumstances should be removed. Service personnel are therefore urged to come forward with any potential claim sooner rather than later.

It is not just wartime injuries which can, however, be claimed for.

Service personnel also suffer from:

• Accidents at work (including industrial disease claims such as Non-Freezing Cold Injuries)
• Road traffic accidents
• Medical negligence by medical officers and hospitals
• Assaults on military personnel
• Claims for military dependents
• PTSD/Psychiatric Injury

Injuries to soldiers/sailors or airmen can lead to the end of a chosen career with a high loss of earnings, loss of congenial employment and significant loss of pension. Legal advice is therefore advisable in order to maximise damages.

Given our location, we have dealt with all range of claims against the Ministry of Justice on a “no win – no fee” basis.

For further information contact our Personal Injury team on 01256 844888 to discuss your potential claim.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.