No Win, No FeeGo-karts are a great way of experiencing the thrills and spills of racing without the cost of running your own race team! Many racers leave go-karting tracks with a massive smile on their face but, unfortunately, go-karting accidents do happen occasionally. When they do, they can lead to serious injuries. If you’ve been injured while racing a go-kart and the accident wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to make a go-karting injury claim for compensation.
We offer free legal advice about go-kart injury claims as part of a no-obligation consultation. One of our specialists can examine the merits of your claim and explain your options. If there are grounds to proceed with a claim, you’ll be introduced to one of our personal injury lawyers. Your claim will be processed on a No Win, No Fee service if it proceeds so you won’t be asked to pay legal fees unless a compensation payout is made.
Please continue reading for more on go-karting injury claims or call 0800 652 1345 to speak to us today.
Types of go-karting injuries you could claim compensation for
Legally, anything other than the most minor injuries could result in a go-kart injury claim. Here are some examples of the types of go-karting injuries that could be claimed for:
- Burns injuries from oil leaks or contact with the go-kart’s engine or exhaust system.
- Broken bones caused by collisions, particularly in the hands, fingers, wrists, or ankles.
- Eye injuries from debris or foreign objects kicked up from the track.
- Whiplash.
- Cuts and laceration injuries from sharp kart components or debris on the track.
- Facial injuries including broken teeth.
- Spinal injuries from go-kart crashes.
If you or your child has been injured at a go-karting track, call us to see if we could help you claim for your suffering.
Can I claim compensation for a go-karting injury?
Anyone who visits a go-kart track to race or spectate is owed a legal duty of care by the operator. It means that they must take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable accidents. As such, one of our personal injury lawyers could help you to claim if:
- The operator of the go-kart track breached their duty of care through a negligent act; and
- An accident occurred as a result of their negligence; and
- You suffered some sort of injury during that accident.
It’s not always clear if you have a valid claim and that’s why we offer a free consultation where you can ask any questions you might have. If you do go on to start a go-kart injury claim, your solicitor will try to obtain as much proof as possible to clearly show what happened. We’ll explain what proof will be helpful for go-kart injury claims later on.
Who can be held responsible for a go-karting injury?
Several parties can potentially be held responsible for a go-karting injury, depending on the circumstances, including:
- The go-karting facility. The facility itself may be held responsible if your injury was a result of their negligence, such as inadequate maintenance of the track, faulty equipment, or lack of proper safety measures.
- The go-kart manufacturer. If the injury occurred due to a defect in the go-kart or its components, the manufacturer or distributor of the go-kart may be held liable for your injury.
- Other Go-Kart Drivers. If the injury was caused by the negligence or reckless behaviour of another go-kart driver, that driver may be held responsible for the harm inflicted.
- Instructors or staff. In cases where an instructor or staff member failed to provide proper guidance, instruction, or supervision, their negligence may make them accountable for resulting injuries.
Determining liability for go-karting accidents can be tricky, and may require thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident. However, a personal injury solicitor from our panel can discuss this with you if you’d like to know more.
Examples of negligence that could lead to a go-karting injury claim
Again, track operators must try to prevent go-kart accidents wherever possible. Failure to do so could be deemed negligence and could mean you’re entitled to compensation for any subsequent injuries.
The following scenarios could all lead to go-karting injury claims if they result in personal injuries.
- If your child was struck after being allowed to cross a track during a live race.
- Injuries caused by damaged, faulty or poorly maintained go-karts.
- If you were not given a proper safety briefing before being allowed into a kart.
- Where racing was allowed despite there being excessive water on the track.
- If your kart was involved in a crash after hitting a large pothole or track defect.
- If you were thrown from your go-kart because the safety belt failed to restrain you.
- Where racing was allowed to continue at full pace despite another vehicle having crashed on the track.
- If another driver was allowed to drive dangerously or recklessly and caused an accident.
As well as the scenarios listed above, you could claim for accidents such as slips, trips and falls within the tracks premises and car park if they were caused by negligence. Please get in touch if you’re unsure of your options and we’ll assess your go-karting injury claim for free.
Can I make a go-kart injury claim on behalf of my child?
In law, children are not allowed to represent themselves in legal matters. However, if your child is entitled to compensation for a go-karting accident, you can take matters into your own hands rather than waiting until your child is an adult.
Our solicitors can help you to become your child’s litigation friend so that you can manage the claims process on their behalf. Once approved, you’ll be able to work with one of our solicitors and the claim will essentially continue as normal.
If your child is awarded compensation, the settlement amount will be checked by a court to ensure it’s fair. After that, they’ll manage the funds in a court trust account until your child’s 18th birthday. Before then, you’ll be able to ask the court for funds to be released as and when they’re needed.
To start a go-karting injury claim on behalf of your child, please contact us today.
How much compensation for go-karting injuries can I claim?
The amount of compensation you’ll receive if you win your go-karting injury claim will be based on several factors. As such, it’s not possible to say exactly how much you might receive until one of our solicitors has reviewed your case in more detail.
However, you could be compensated for any of the following (where relevant) if your go-kart injury claim is successful:
- Any physical pain, discomfort and suffering.
- Psychiatric injuries (flashback, distress, depression etc).
- Medical costs including physiotherapy fees and prescription medication costs.
- Travel expenses.
- Personal property replacement costs.
- Loss of income.
- Care costs for a professional carer’s fees or the time a loved one spent helping you to recover.
- Future loss of earnings for more serious go-karting injuries.
- The cost of modifying your home to help you cope with more serious injuries.
- Loss of amenity i.e. any impact your go-karting injuries have on your usual activities.
In all go-kart injury compensation claims, an independent medical assessment will usually be needed to help your solicitor understand your prognosis. This will usually be carried out locally by a medical specialist. They’ll examine your injuries and discuss them with you before producing a report for all parties involved in your claim.
Providing proof for go-kart injury claims
Operators of go-karting tracks will have a public liability insurance policy to cover any personal injury claims made against them. However, insurance companies don’t generally award compensation without putting up a fight. For this reason, your solicitor will need as much proof as possible to prove how the accident occurred and why their client was to blame.
So, if you are injured in a go-karting accident, you should:
- Report the go-kart accident. This will mean that the incident is written into the track’s accident report book (a legal requirement). If you’re not given a copy of the form, it will be requested to confirm the date, time and location of the accident.
- Take photographs. Where it’s safe to do so, take as many photographs as you can at the go-karting accident scene. This could make it easier to demonstrate how the accident occurred. Also, photos of any bruises, burns or other visible personal injuries should be taken as well.
- Go To A Hospital. Go-kart injuries should always be checked by a medical professional to ensure they are treated properly. If you go on to take legal action, your solicitor will obtain a copy of your medical records from the hospital or minor injuries unit that treated you.
- Speak to witnesses. It’s always a good idea to collect the contact details for any independent witnesses to the go-kart accident. If necessary, your solicitor will get in touch and collect witness statements which could verify your version of events.
- Secure video footage. If the karting track was covered by CCTV cameras or anyone was filming the track when your accident happened, ask for a copy of the footage. It’s your legal right to do so but bear in mind that CCTV data is usually deleted within 28 days or so.
- Keep a diary. Finally, write down what happened and track any expenses in a diary until your claim is settled. This will make it easier to explain how you’ve suffered.
If you’ve got any of the proof for a go-kart injury claim listed here, please let us know when you call. If anything else is required, your solicitor will try to secure it if your claim proceeds.
Go-kart Injury claim time limits
You may already know that there is a 3-year time limit in which you need to start a personal injury claim in the UK. For go-kart injury claims, this limitation period starts from the date of your accident in most cases. However, if you have suffered an injury such as delayed whiplash that didn’t present until a later date, the claim could start on the date that injury had been diagnosed.
If your child has been injured whilst go-karting, you’ll have longer to start your claim because their time limit begins on their 18th birthday. You’re free to start a claim as a litigation friend at any time before that date.
Generally, it’s best to seek legal advice and start a go-karting injury claim as soon as you can. Not only does that mean you’ll receive a compensation payout sooner if the claim is won, but you could be paid interim payments to help with any financial issues caused by your injuries before your claim is settled. For example, if the defendant has accepted liability for the go-kart accident but your prognosis has not yet been clarified, you could receive an interim payment to cover lost income or any immediate medical expenses.
No Win, No Fee claims
It can be easier to secure compensation for go-karting injuries if you’ve got a specialist personal injury solicitor on your side. That said, we know that many potential claimants worry about engaging the services of a legal specialist because of the perceived costs of doing so. To reduce your concerns and financial risks, our solicitors provide a No Win, No Fee service for any go-kart injury claim they agree to work on.
So that you have that in writing, you’ll be sent a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) before your claim begins.
Once it’s been signed and returned, your solicitor’s main goals are to:
- Start to collect medical proof and other information to support your claim.
- Contact the defendant and let them know you’re starting the go-kart injury claims process.
- Use their legal training and experience to try and counter any arguments raised.
- Let you know how the claim is progressing with regular updates.
- Contact you about any settlement offers and review them with you before they are accepted.
You will not pay your solicitor for their work upfront and if the claim doesn’t work out, you won’t have to pay any legal fees whatsoever.
If compensation for a go-kart accident is awarded, a success fee will be deducted from it to pay for your solicitor’s time and costs. Legally, this fee is capped at 25 per cent of your compensation when the case is funded by a CFA.
Start a go-karting injury claim today
We’re here to help if you’ve decided it’s time to claim compensation for go-karting injuries. If you call us on 0800 652 1345 today, one of our specialists will review your options with you during a free initial consultation. There’s no obligation to take legal action but will advise you of your options after reviewing your claim.
If you do want to start a personal injury claim, one of our solicitors will be appointed. If they agree to represent you, the claims process will be managed on a No Win, No Fee basis. As such, you won’t need to pay legal costs unless compensation is awarded.
Our live chat advisors can also provide advice on go-kart injury claims so please feel free to connect with them or arrange your free consultation here.
