Horse Riding Accident Lawyers - Compensation Law
Our horse riding accident lawyers in Canada offer expertise that is second to none. If one of our horse riding accident lawyers represents you in your personal injury compensation claim you may rest assured that your case will be dealt with in an efficient, business like manner. If you would like to talk to a specialized lawyer about a horseback riding accident, just make contact and a horse accident lawyer who deals exclusively in personal injury compensation claims will give you free advice on your horse riding injury with no further obligation.
Horseback Riding Sports
Horseback riding can be a very dangerous sport. People should be aware of all of the risks associated with the sport before partaking in the activity. There are measures that can be taken to prevent some injuries such as wearing a helmet and taking cues from the horse. A horse is a very large creature and though trained also has natural instincts that kick in when spooked.
Two percent of all trauma patients between the years of 1995 and 2005 were the result of horseback riding injuries. Of that percentage, seven percent resulted in death.
Some of the most common injuries are spinal injuries. This type of injury can result from being thrown off of the horse, for example. Head injuries account for four to eight percent of all injuries, though not very common can cause serious injury and 65 percent of all deaths. Many could have been prevented simply wearing a helmet. The reality is fewer youth riders suffer head injuries in falls than older riders due to their willingness to accept a helmet.
Other injuries that are possible result from bites, kicks, and other actions. That being said, you do not have to be riding a horse in order to sustain an injury. Horses can be easily spooked, so you must be aware of your surroundings and learn how to handle the situation if it does occur. Another aspect that people tend to not want to consider is the possibility of death. Every year, there are deaths caused by horses in this sport. It is not only a possibility, but a reality.
Before becoming a Canadian Jockey or partaking in horseback riding, you should consider that there are risks associated with simply being around the animal. These risks increase when you decide to start riding. Consider that when you are on the horse you are eight to ten feet off the ground, so a fall, which accounts for 80 percent of all horse-back injuries, invariably causes injuries. You should take the time to get to know the animal before attempting to ride it. Developing a relationship will lower the risk but freak accidents may still happen.
British Columbia medical facilities report one death in every ten thousand horse riding related injuries. Although a very small figure, death is final.
Horseback riding that involves cross-country and jumping more often leads to injuries caused by the horse falling, sipping, or refusing a jump, whereas, 45 percent of all ground injuries are the result of horse kicks, most often during loading and unloading horses into carriers.
Not all horseback riding accidents are the fault of the animal. In some cases, it can be faulty safety equipment provided by rental agencies. Or injuries sustained by veterinarians or farriers who are contracted to shoe or groom horses that are untrained.
Whenever significant injuries, paralysis, or death has occurred, fault must be established. In some cases it may just be a freak accident, but those injured or paralyzed must still be cared for and the family of a deceased must receive compensation for lost income potential.
Car Accidents - Safety & Protective Clothing
Horse accident lawyers deal with compensation claims for deaths and serious injuries caused every year to pony and horse riders following collisions with motor vehicles which are often as a result of driver ignorance. Probably the single most important way of reducing risk is by the use of safety and protective clothing and high visibility accessories. It is important to ensure that a horse rider can be seen more readily by motorists by using reflective items to make the horse and rider stand out. Even during daylight hours it has been proven to decrease accident risk. There are a number of other things that riders can do to make themselves more safe including :-
- wear riding boots with raised heels to prevent feet from slipping through the stirrups
- wearing fastened protective well fitting headgear
- keeping the horse under control and maintaining a secure seat
- riding on highways only after you are familiar with your horse
- calm a frightened horse and give it time to overcome its fear
- ensure the horse walks when going up or down a steep hill
- a horse should always be walked on a hard surface
- allow the horse make his own way when riding on rough ground, sand or mud
- allow the horse make his own way where there is danger of slipping or falling
- never ride a horse with just a halter which gives inadequate control
- ride on the shoulder of any road and follow the rules of the road
- approach other riders carefully and proceed to pass cautiously on the left side
- a red ribbon tied into the tail indicates a kicker, so stay back
- wear light-colored clothing and carry a flashlight and reflectors
- if the horse is frightened and runs it should be turned in ever decreasing circles until it stops
Horse Riding Accident Lawyers
In order to ascertain if a civil claim or to establish the validity of a claim, legal guidance and advice is required. No one wants to endure additional hardships of possible legal battles or possible trial, so let our horse riding accident lawyers negotiate with the insurance company for you.
That’s where we can make it simpler for you and your loved ones and let the healing begin. Give us a call or send us an email and set-up an appointment to review the circumstances of the accident and establish a baseline for your possible claim.
Your first consultation is always free with no further obligation to pursue any further legal action.
Horse Accident Injury Statistics
Pony and horse accident statistics make uncomfortable reading. A horse accident lawyer inevitably has to deal with many serious accidents and fatalities usually due to third party negligence :-
- approximately 1 million people ride a horse or pony every year in Canada
- one in five horse related injuries occurs before mounting
- mounted injuries most often involve a fall
- dismounted injuries most often involve kicking
- dismounted injuries are usually more serious than mounted injuries
- most riding injuries are sustained by amateurs whilst pleasure riding
- head injuries are the most common cause for admission to hospital and death
- highest injury rates are to those aged 5 to 14 and 25 to 44
- a rider who has one head injury has 40% chance of suffering a 2nd head injury
- there are approximately 5,000 horse rider related visits made to emergency rooms
- the most frequent injuries include fractures, lacerations and head injuries
- the most frequent cause of death is head injury
- the most frequent cause of multiple injuries in sport of any description is horse riding
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