Case study: £60,000 compensation for woman injured in dishwasher fire

Our personal injury solicitors helped a client claim compensation for injuries she sustained after her dishwasher caught fire.

Accident circumstances: faulty dishwasher catches fire

Our client, Ms D, was working from home upstairs and had put her dishwasher on during her lunch break. Whilst working later, she smelt smoke. She went downstairs and discovered that flames and smoke had engulfed the open-plan kitchen.

Ms D called 999, and the fire service put out the fire. They informed her that the fire was caused by the dishwasher. Few items in her home were salvageable, and Ms D and her pets were injured.

As a result of the fire, Ms D suffered the following injuries:

• Shock, stress, and sleep deprivation
• Smoke inhalation
• Suspected sepsis (which subsequently cleared with tests)
• An ongoing cough
• PTSD
• Depression
• An eating disorder
• Fear of defective appliances and compulsive checking

Ms D instructed our personal injury solicitors to claim compensation for her injuries.

Liability denied by the manufacturer

We notified the Defendant’s (the dishwasher manufacturer) insurers of the claim, who denied liability for the incident but agreed to negotiate a settlement offer.

Medical reports obtained

Our personal injury solicitors obtained copies of Ms D’s medical records and instructed a Psychiatrist to prepare a medical report. This confirmed she had developed PTSD, a binge eating disorder, and OCD. The report recommended that she undergo further therapy before a final prognosis could be given.

Ms D was significantly impacted by the incident and wanted to conclude the claim without waiting for a final prognosis.

Claim for financial losses

Our personal injury solicitors collated details of Ms D’s financial losses she incurred because of the accident. These included:

• A claim arising from her disadvantage on the open labour market due to her injuries – if she were only able, in the future, to take a job where she could work from home, then that would limit the jobs open to her.
• A delay in receiving a promotion: there were discussions before the accident about a re-model of management to create an opportunity for Ms D. She achieved the promotion at a later date, but claimed for the 18-month delay.
• Treatment costs for the therapy she had and was recommended to receive in the future
• Medication and drops for her dry eyes (caused by the smoke)
• Treatment costs for her pets who suffered smoke-related symptoms
• Loss of enjoyment of her arranged holiday abroad. She felt unable to attend the holiday due to her poor mental health, as well as needing to be present to supervise repair work being done on her home due to the fire.
• Invoices for the electrical companies that were called to check appliances due to ongoing anxiety about their safety.
• Travel expenses for medical appointments and appointments relating to repair works on her house.

Ms D’s house contents and repairs were claimed separately via her home insurance.

Settlement offer

The Defendant made an initial settlement offer of £28,000. After further negotiations, the personal injury claim settled for £60,000.

Contact our personal injury solicitors

If you’ve been injured in a similar accident involving a faulty appliance, our personal injury solicitors may be able to help.

Call our friendly team on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.