Daniel is a Bristol based barrister, who acts for claimants in personal injury cases. His practice encompasses workplace injury and disease, clinical negligence and product liability. He attends inquests on behalf of clients with injury claims on a CFA basis.

Daniel worked as a trainee and then a solicitor between 1993 and 2000 at Hill Taylor Dickinson and Leigh Day & Co. He moved to the bar in 2000, practicing at Old Square Chambers and Doughty Street, before becoming independent.

A major part of his practice concerns workplace injury and disease. He is the Editor of Munkman on Employer's Liability (14 ^th – 17^th Editions). He has historically carried out extensive health care workplace litigation, acting for RCN, POA and Unison members. He works extensively with Union firms as well for non-unionised workers, particularly firms centred around representing migrant workers. He acts regularly in clinical negligence cases. He is often instructed in mixed product liability/clinical negligence claims. He has developed an interest in claims concerning the abuse and neglect of elderly patients, having chaired conferences for both AvMA and APIL. He is in Court regularly on all manner of PI cases before District, Circuit and High Court judges. He has an extensive paperwork practice. As a former solicitor, he is aware of the need for prompt service from counsel on paperwork and he understands cost budgeting.

LinkedIn Profile

Daniel Bennett, Bristol based barrister, specialises in workplace injury and disease.

He is the Editor of Munkman on Employer’s Liability (14^th – 17^th Editions), the leading textbook on workplace injury and disease.

He works extensively with Union firms as well for non-unionised workers, particularly firms centred around representing migrant workers.

With respect to workplace injury, he acts regularly for injured workers on constructions sites, in factories, warehouses and in every type of workplace. He has extensive experience of every type of injury, including falls and falling objects, manual handling, mechanical equipment injury as well as trips, slips and collisions. He has acted many times in cases involving assault and violence in the workplace. He is very familiar with the workplace regulations, being the author of the chapters in Munkman on workplaces, construction sites, work at height, manual handling and work equipment.

He has worked on asbestos claims since 1993, with experience of every type of claim, including low dose mesothelioma, early exposure cases, disputed lung cancer and asbestosis causation claims.

He has a long history of other forms of occupational cancer, with claims involving benzene, trichloroethylene, acid mists and sun exposure. He is familiar with arguments concerning epidemiology evidence.

He has brought numerous acute inhalational injuries including from chlorine gas, hydrogen sulphide (group actions for sewage workers), mustard gas (group action for construction workers), styrene, glutaraldehyde, ammonia, welding fumes, nitrogen gas. Asthma claims have included isocyanates, glutaraldehyde, epoxy resins, latex and general dust/fume irritation. He brought the first ever nursing latex allergy, asthma and dermatitis cases from 1997.

Daniel is currently representing many injured or killed at work by Covid-19, including many nurses, paramedics and care workers. Other workplace infection cases have included:

• Campylobacter cases for firefighters in flood water training – 3 group actions, in total some 200 claims
• Legionnaires disease claims for hotel and swimming pool workers and claims for hospital patients
• Aspergillus cases for various office workers
• Q Fever group litigation in Newport for 64 factory workers
• Chlamydia Psittaci litigation for street cleaners
• Orf and Brucellosis claims for farm workers
• Tuberculosis litigation for nurses and prison officers
• Scabies litigation for prison officers

Daniel is also very familiar with vibration induced injury, repetitive strain injury and noise induced hearing loss (both acute cumulative)

Cases

Brown v G&K Manson Ltd [2022] EWHC 3004 (QB)

Jones v Robert McBride[Lawtel 12/10/2017]

Robinson v North Bristol NHS Trust [Lawtel 04/06/2013]

Williams v Tata Steel UK Limited [Court of Appeal B3/2012/1900]

Aston v Cannon Industries [Lawtel 15/5/2012]

Aldenham School v Deacon [2008] EWHC 2343 (QB)

Charnock v The Home Office [2005] EWHC 3515 (QB)

Weston v British Gas Services [2003] 8 WLUK 148

Re Brown (CICA) [Lawtel 24/4/2003]

Johnson v The Home Office [Lawtel 31/3/2003]

Hussain v Hill [Lawtel 3/12/2002]

Re Marshall [CICA] [Lawtel 11/10/2001]

Having initially from 2000 built up a practice based around hospital infections (MRSA and C.Difficile), his clinical negligence work now covers the whole range of healthcare based negligence. He has acted often for patients suffering allergic reactions to medicines and foods, with many gentamicin toxicity cases in particular. Daniel has had a considerable amount of experience of cases involving defective medical devices, with many cases involving a cross over between clinical negligence and product liability. His experience in occupational cancer cases has crossed over into clinical negligence cases concerning cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition to this Daniel acts regularly in more traditional clinical negligence cases involving negligent diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. His background in infection cases has led to extensive experience of sepsis, septic arthritis, amputation and bowel injury claims. He acts frequently for diabetic and elderly patients with septic complications.

Inquiries and Inquests

Daniel acts in inquests arising from hospital care, particularly from bacterial infection (MRSA, C. Diff and Legionnaires' Disease), fungal infection, sepsis from bed sores, allergic reaction, mental health care suicides or involving defective products. Most of his instructions are on a CFA basis.

Reported hospital cases

• SA v St George's University Hospital Foundation Trust [Lawtel 12/07/2022] Surgical repair procedures
• Estate of Travers v Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [Lawtel 21/12/20]
  Delay in diagnosis cryptococcal meningitis
• X v Oxford University NHS Trust [Lawtel6/12/2017]
  Mixed clinical neg/product liability case
• GD v University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust [Lawtel 25/10/16]
  Delay in diagnosis claim
• Cross v Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust [Lawtel 30/6/16] Retained placenta claim
• X v Barts Health NHS Trust [Lawtel 21/12/2015] Gentamicin toxicity claim
• AH v Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust [Lawtel 25/02/2015]
  Negligent bowel surgery/sepsis claim
• EC v North West London Hospitals NHS Trust [Lawtel 28/5/14]
  Necrotising fasciitis
• Robinson v North Bristol NHS Trust [Lawtel 04/06/2013]
  RSI claim for theatre nurse
• M v Poole Hospital NHS Trust [Lawtel 23/8/2012]
  Negligent bowel surgery/sepsis claim
• Pepper v Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [Lawtel 23/11/2011]
  Surgical nerve injury
• Johnson v East Kent Hospitals University NSS Foundation Trust [Lawtel 2/9/2011]
  Negligent bowel surgery/sepsis claim

Relevant Articles

Elder abuse and death claims Clinical Risk C. Risk (2012) Vol.18 No.5 Pages 194–196

A Duty to the Elderly Lawyer (2012) Vol.26 No.26 Page 16

MRSA infections: pinpointing responsibility Personal Injury Law Journal P.I.L.J. (2008) No.69 October Pages 9–11

Litigating hospital acquired MRSA as a disease Journal of Personal Injury Law J.P.I. Law (2004) No.3 Pages 197–208

Doctors & Nurses: Asthma and dermatitis caused by latex exposure Journal of Personal Injury Law, June J.P.I. Law (2001) Issue No.2 Pages 117–123

Latex Allergy: Throw down the gauntlet Nursing Times November 12-18 1997. Pages 14–15

Daniel Bennett has regularly acted for the families of those who killed in fatal accidents as well as those who survived the accident but suffered catastrophic injury. Initially, his cases arose on his speciality practice of workplace injury and disease, as well clinical and medical treatment. In the last 10 years, he has also acted regularly for those killed or severely injured in road traffic and other public accidents.

The issues that arise in these cases are the same regardless of the cause of the accident, with distinct statutes and case law which govern the rules of compensation. Further, the need for attentive service to the client is always foremost in his mind. His experience of asbestos and other occupational cancer cases in particular has made Daniel familiar with attending the needs of clients dying from fatal diseases and ensuring that the requirements of their families are met.