A Guide To Razor And Barbed Wire Injury Claims
By Jade Mooney. Last Updated 16th July 2024. Welcome to our guide on razor and barbed wire injury claims. In it, we explore when you could claim for an injury caused by broken barbed wire or razor wire in the UK. We also answer the question ‘Is barbed wire legal in the UK?’
When Could I Claim For A Barbed Wire Injury? Is Barbed Wire Legal In The UK?
If an organisation or individual uses barbed wire in a negligent manner, it could cause injuries to people. You could make a personal injury compensation claim following a barbed wire injury if you can establish that your injury was ultimately caused by the negligent behaviour of someone else.
You’re welcome to contact us online by using our live chat service or complete our claim online form. If you’d prefer to call us, you can do so on 020 3870 4868
Services And Information
- Who Can Make Barbed Wire Injury Claims?
- Is It Legal To Use Razor Wire Or Barbed Wire In The UK?
- Injuries Caused By Broken And Damaged Barbed Wire
- Compensation Payouts For Barbed Wire Injury Claims
- How Much Time Do I Have To Claim For A Razor Wire Injury?
- I Suffered A Razor Wire Injury, What Should I Do?
- Claim For Barbed Wire Injuries With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Other Information Relating To Personal Injury Claims
Who Can Make Barbed Wire Injury Claims
Before we discuss if you are eligible to claim after being cut on a barbed wire, it’s important that you understand what duty of care is owed to you. When you are in a public place, under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the occupiers or owners of that land have a duty of care to ensure you are reasonably safe whilst visiting.
In order to seek personal injury compensation, you need to prove that the occupier breached their duty of care they owed you and caused you to sustain harm as a result.
Furthermore, you must begin court proceedings within the limitation period to avoid the risk of your personal injury claim becoming statute-barred. We’ll go into more detail about the time limits involved with razor wire fence claims later on in this guide.
Is It Legal To Use Razor Wire Or Barbed Wire In The UK?
Are you wondering, ‘is razor wire legal in the UK?’. It is within your right to set up barbed or razor wires as long as it is an area you own and not a public place. Additionally, you are allowed to put up a barbed wire fence if the fencing belongs to you. However, there is legislation you must consider when using barbed wire.
Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984, owners of a space have a duty of care to ensure the safety of all visitors to that property. You are obligated to put up appropriate signage if you are choosing to put barbed wire on your property.
Should your property back onto a public road, you must also abide by the Highways Act 1980. As outlined in the act, any barbed wire you install must not be hazardous or pose a risk to drivers.
An expert personal injury lawyer from our panel can guide you through any questions you might have about legislation in the UK if you get in touch.
Injuries Caused By Broken And Damaged Barbed Wire
It’s possible for barbed wire which is broken or damaged to cause different types of injuries. As mentioned earlier, barbed and razor wire can cause cuts, lacerations and puncture wounds to a person who is exposed to it. This still applies even if the wire is broken or damaged. Someone could accidentally be exposed to barbed wire if it’s broken or damaged, as it could end up in an area it’s not meant to be located.
Broken barbed wire could also be accidentally tripped on. A slip, trip or fall caused by broken barbed wire could cause a vast range of potential injuries. These can include head injuries, dislocated or broken bones and other injuries to the back, shoulder fractures and broken limbs such as a broken elbow or broken leg.
If you’ve been harmed in such a way, please get in touch with our personal injury claims team.
Compensation Payouts For Barbed Wire Injury Claims
If your barbed wire injury claim is successful, you will receive compensation under the head of claim called general damages. You might also receive compensation under a second head of claim called special damages too.
General damages compensate for the psychological and physical effects of your barbed wire injury. This includes:
- How severe your pain is.
- Whether the effects of your injuries are permanent.
- Loss of amenity.
You may have an independent medical assessment during the claims process, and the reports from this can help determine your general damages worth. The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can also help with this.
The JCG is a publication that has guideline compensation values for all sorts of physical and psychological injuries/illnesses.
Compensation Table
Except for the top row, which is information from ourselves, we have taken some figures from the JCG for some injuries that could be caused by barbed wire.
This table must only be referred to as a guide. None of these figures can be guaranteed for your specific case, as all personal injury claims are unique.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injury along with special damages | Serious | Up to £500,000+ |
| Facial disfigurement | Very severe scarring (a) | £36,340 to £118,790 |
| Less severe scarring (b) | £21,920 to £59,090 | |
| Significant scarring (c) | £11,120 to £36,720 | |
| Less significant scarring (d) | £4,820 to £16,770 | |
| Digestive system | Damage from traumatic injury (a) (i) | £52,490 to £75,550 |
| Damage from traumatic injury (a) (ii) | £20,490 to £33,880 | |
| Scarring to other parts of the body | A single disfiguring scar or a number of noticeable laceration scars | £9,560 to £27,740 |
| Several superficial scars or a single noticeable scar | £2,890 to £9,560 |
What Other Damages Could I Get For A Broken Barbed Wire Injury?
Special damages compensate you for the money you have lost due to your razor wire injury. Examples of things you could receive compensation for under special damages include the following:
- The costs of medical treatment for your barbed wire injury.
- Travel costs that have accumulated attending medical appointments for medical treatment.
- Loss of earnings due to having to take unpaid time off work because of your barbed wire injury.
Because special damages are not guaranteed to be awarded if your claim is successful, keeping evidence of your injury’s financial effects are crucial. Such evidence can be payslips, invoices, bank statements, and receipts.
To learn in more detail how your potential razor wire injury claim might be valued, have a chat with us today.
How Much Time Do I Have To Claim For A Razor Wire Injury?
As in other cases of personal injury, you generally will have 3 years to start barbed wire injury claims. This time limit is in the Limitation Act 1980. This time limit will begin on the date that your injury was sustained. The date of knowledge also can act as the start date of your 3-year time limit For example, any lacerations you suffered could become infected well after the accident date.
If you allow this time limit to expire, then your claim may be time-barred. However, there are some exceptions.
Child Razor Wire Injury Claims
If a child is injured by barbed wire then their time limit will not begin until their 18th birthday. This is because those under 18 cannot make a claim themselves. Before they reach adulthood, their claims can only be made on their behalf by a legal adult. They would be known in this context as a litigation friend. This may be a parent or guardian, for example.
The claimant will have 3 years from their 18th birthday to make the claim themselves if it has not already been made for them beforehand.
Barbed Wire Injury Claims For Those With A Reduced Mental Capacity
If the claimant lacks the mental capacity to claim, then their time limit is also suspended. The time limit will only begin if and when they are deemed capable of making their claim.
Before this date, their claim can only be made by a litigation friend.
If you’re confused by any of these time limits, get in touch with us today.
I Suffered A Razor Wire Injury, What Should I Do?
If you suffered a razor or barbed wire injury, you may wish to claim razor wire injuries compensation. However, to do so, you will need to supply evidence of your razor wire injuries and the breach in duty of care that caused them.
Evidence examples include:
- Medical records
- CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage
- Photos of your injuries or the accident scene
- Witness contact details
Is barbed wire legal in the UK – Ask a solicitor for claims advice
When you have finished gathering evidence, you may wish to hire a solicitor before submitting your claim. A solicitor can be very useful since they should be able to guide you through all the legal steps to follow when making a personal injury claim. We recommend that you choose a solicitor who has experience with handling claims involving a razor or barbed wire injury.
Claim For Barbed Wire Injuries With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you are interested in claiming for an injury or laceration caused by barbed wire or razor wire, a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel may be able to help. If they agree to take on your case, they may offer you a kind of No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When claiming with a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis, they won’t charge you any upfront or ongoing fees. Additionally, you will not be obligated to pay for their services if the claim fails.
The only fee you will pay under this type of agreement comes only if your claim succeeds. This success fee is taken directly from your settlement award as a small percentage with a legislative cap, allowing you to keep the majority of what you receive.
Our advisors can tell you if you could be eligible to work with a solicitor from our panel. Through a free consultation, an advisor from our team can evaluate your claim and answer any questions you may have about the claims process. To learn more:
- Call us on 020 3870 4868
- Start your claim online
- Use the live chat feature
Other Information Relating To Personal Injury Claims
You can check out some of our other guides below which may be useful to your potential personal injury claim:
- Accident At Work Compensation Claims Guide
- I Tripped Over Glass Or A Bottle, How Do I Make A Claim?
- A Guide To Claiming For An Accident In A Shop
Additional links you may find useful:
If you have any other questions related to is barbed wire legal in the UK, our advisors can help.
