Personal Injury Solicitors Pembrokeshire
Injury Law Specialists provides access to personal injury solicitors acting for clients across Pembrokeshire, including Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Tenby, Fishguard and Narberth. If you have been injured in an accident that may have been caused by someone else’s negligence, we can review what happened and explain whether you may have grounds to pursue compensation.
Pembrokeshire is the south western corner of Wales, and it contains an unusual range of working environments within one county. The Milford Haven waterway holds one of the largest energy ports in the country, with terminals, refineries, power generation and the marine, engineering and industrial operations that go with them, and the ferry ports at Pembroke Dock and Fishguard run daily services to Ireland. Haverfordwest is the county town and the administrative and commercial centre, Tenby and the south coast are among the most heavily visited resorts in Wales, and behind all of it lies a genuinely working agricultural and fishing county. That produces a distinctive mix of claims, which we set out below.
- Free initial claim assessment
- No Win No Fee may be available
- Clients throughout England & Wales
- 30+ years' collective legal experience
Three parts of Pembrokeshire, three claim profiles
- The Milford Haven waterway and the southMilford Haven, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and Neyland
- The county town and the resort coastHaverfordwest, Narberth and Tenby
- The north coast, the ferry port and the PreselisFishguard and the northern coast
We help clients in Pembrokeshire. We do not have an office in Pembrokeshire and we do not claim to.
Can I make a personal injury claim in Pembrokeshire?
Yes, if you were injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence anywhere in Pembrokeshire, including the areas covered in the sections below. Personal injury solicitors acting for clients in the county assess whether there are grounds to claim, investigate the evidence, instruct medical experts and negotiate with the insurer on your behalf. Whether a claim can be taken on depends on the circumstances, the evidence and when the accident happened, not on where in the county you live or how far you were from home when it happened.
What makes Pembrokeshire claims different
Four things account for a large share of the cases we see from Pembrokeshire clients, and each of them arises here more than it does almost anywhere else in Wales.
A deep water energy port and a working waterway, with different time limits attached
The Milford Haven waterway is one of the largest and busiest energy ports in the country, with oil and gas terminals, refineries, power generation including a very large gas fired station, jetties, quays, wharves and the marine, engineering, fabrication and industrial operations that serve them, along with a very large commercial fishing fleet and boatyards, slipways and marina operations at Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and Neyland. Where an injury happens on the water, on a vessel, on a jetty, on a quay or in the course of dock, port, terminal or marine work, different time limits and different courts can apply from the ordinary land based rules, and those limits can be considerably shorter than the three years most people expect. That is a live issue throughout this county rather than a remote one. The hazards of that work are the serious ones of the sector: being struck by or crushed by vehicles, cranes, plant, loads and equipment on a quay, a jetty or in a yard, falls from height on vessels, tanks, towers, structures and staging, falls from the quay, the jetty or between the vessel and the quayside, falls overboard and into water, mooring and line handling injuries, lifting injuries and dropped loads, crush and entrapment in winches, ropes, cables, plant and machinery, and slips, trips and falls on wet, oily, icy and cluttered surfaces and on ramps, steps and gangways. The energy and process side adds the further hazards of hydrocarbon and gas handling, confined space work, hot work, pressure systems and heavy construction and maintenance campaigns. These claims are heavily documented by the operator and the employer, and the risk assessments, permit to work and isolation procedures, gas and exposure monitoring records, plant inspection and maintenance records, training and competence records and incident records are usually the heart of the case.
One of the most heavily visited coasts in Wales, worked and walked at the same time
Pembrokeshire has a coast that is genuinely worked and genuinely visited, and the two are inseparable. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers almost the whole of the coastline, and the beaches, cliffs, bays, headlands, promenades, sea walls, harbours, slipways and the coast path are carried by very large numbers of visitors throughout the year, alongside a substantial fishing, boat trip, sea angling, kayaking, coasteering, surfing, sailing and wildlife boat industry working from the same harbours and slipways. That produces a particular pattern. A coastal authority has to contend with wind blown sand and salt, seaweed, algae, standing water, storm damage, cliff erosion and falls of rock and material, and the ground changes with weather and tide in ways an inland path does not, and cliff and coastal path erosion is a real and continuing issue along this coast, so where a route has been affected by erosion, landslip or a fall of material, that is usually the central question in a claim rather than the surface alone. Where a route runs beside a drop, a cliff or the water, the adequacy of a barrier, a handrail or a warning is frequently the central question. Around a working harbour, slipway or quay the position is different again, because those are places of work as well as public routes, and the duties and the regulatory framework there differ from an ordinary public place, with boat handling, launching, slipping, landing and the commercial and voluntary rescue and angling activity all part of the operation.
Agriculture, fishing and rural work across a working county
Behind the coast and the port, Pembrokeshire is a genuinely working agricultural and fishing county, and both carry some of the highest rates of serious and fatal injury of any sector. In farming and contracting, that produces the serious hazards of the work: machinery, tractors, telehandlers and quad bikes on steep and uneven ground, entanglement, crush, cutting, amputation and power take off and driveline injuries, overturning and tipping on slopes, falls from height on machinery, trailers, stacks and bales, being struck or crushed by falling or rolling objects, livestock injuries from cattle, bulls and sheep, lifting injuries from animals, machinery, feed, bags and loads, and exposure to cold, wet and wind, dusts, spores, mould, pesticides, veterinary medicines, vibration, noise and zoonotic infection. Pembrokeshire's dairy and mixed farming economy means livestock and slurry handling, and the particular risks of tankers, slurry stores, pits and gases, are a recurring local factor. In fishing and marine work the pattern runs to the hazards of hauling, winches, ropes and deck machinery, moving gear and pots, falls on wet and moving decks, man overboard, being struck by gear, crush and entrapment, and the very particular dangers of working a small boat alone or in poor conditions. Because a great deal of both kinds of work is done by self employed farmers, family workers, contractors, gangmasters, skippers and share fishermen rather than by large employers, establishing who actually employed you, and who was responsible for a given task, is frequently the first question in a claim.
A long rural and coastal road network on the routes to the ferry ports
Pembrokeshire sits at the end of the main routes to the Irish ferry ports, with the A40 and the A477 carrying very heavy volumes of commuting, freight, port, agricultural and tourist traffic across the county, and a very large network of narrow rural lanes, coastal roads and, in places, single track roads beyond them. The trunk and A roads carry long distance traffic and a great deal of heavy goods movement to and from the port and the terminals, so a high proportion of collisions involve drivers who were not local, several vehicles, or heavy goods and agricultural vehicles. The rural and coastal lanes are the harder problem: narrow carriageways with short sight lines, high banks and hedges, no footway, poor lighting and frequently single track, where slow moving agricultural machinery, wide vehicles, livestock moving between fields, horse riders, cyclists and, in season, very large numbers of visitors are all part of the ordinary traffic picture, and where a collision frequently involves a single vehicle on a bend or a gradient. Because the physical evidence on a rural road is often transient, it is worth taking advice and preserving what you can quickly: photographs of the scene, the road markings, the vegetation, the obstructions and the sight lines, the police report if one was made, and any dash camera or camera footage.
How claims differ across Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire divides into three recognisably different parts when it comes to how accidents happen, and the difference between a terminal claim at Milford Haven and one from a farm near Narberth is considerable.
The Milford Haven waterway and the south
Milford Haven, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and Neyland
One of the largest energy ports in the country, with terminals, refineries, power generation, a ferry port, a large fishing fleet and heavy marine and industrial work.
Milford Haven, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and Neyland cover the haven and the south. The Milford Haven waterway is a deep water inlet carrying one of the largest energy ports in the country, with oil and gas terminals, refineries, a very large power station, jetties, quays and the marine, engineering, fabrication and industrial operations that serve and maintain them, along with a very large commercial fishing fleet, boatyards, slipways and marina operations. Milford Haven is a substantial town with a long maritime and industrial history and a very large residential population on the waterway, Pembroke is a small historic town with a castle, and Pembroke Dock is a large former naval dockyard town with a ferry port running daily services to Ireland and substantial industrial and engineering employment alongside it. Neyland sits on the waterway with its own marina and residential base. What the four share is that they are where the county's heavy work happens: an energy port and process industry of national significance, a working waterway used for fishing, ferries, yachting and marine support, and industrial and engineering employment that supports all of it.
Towns in this area
The county town and the resort coast
Haverfordwest, Narberth and Tenby
The administrative and market centre for the county, and the south coast resorts that draw a very large visitor load.
Haverfordwest, Narberth and Tenby cover the centre and the resort coast. Haverfordwest is the county town and the administrative, commercial, retail and health centre for the whole of Pembrokeshire, with a large hospital serving the county, a substantial residential population, and the A40 and the A487 converging on it, which makes it a genuine hub for the area. Narberth is a small market town inland with an old centre and a strong independent retail and food trade, serving a wide farming hinterland. Tenby is one of the most heavily visited resorts in Wales, with a walled town centre, beaches, a harbour, a lifeboat station and boat operations, and a very large seasonal visitor population alongside its resident one. What the three share is that they are the parts of the county where visitors and everyday services are concentrated: the county's administrative and health hub, a working market town, and a resort whose town centre, harbour and beaches carry very large numbers of people on surfaces that are historic, heavily used and in places old.
Towns in this area
The north coast, the ferry port and the Preselis
Fishguard and the northern coast
A ferry port and market town on the north coast, on the inland edge of the national park and the Preseli hills.
Fishguard and the northern coast cover the north of the county. Fishguard is a market town with an old lower town at the harbour and a ferry port just outside it running daily services to Ireland, with a working harbour, a lifeboat station and a very large rural hinterland around it, and the A40 and the A487 carrying traffic through it toward the crossing. The coast either side runs through Dinas Head, Newport, the Nevern estuary and the northern section of the coast path, with beaches, cliffs, coves and harbours in very heavy visitor use, and behind it the Preseli hills and a large area of high, wet, working farmland. What marks this area out is that it combines a genuine international ferry crossing and its associated traffic with a coast in the national park and a very large, very rural agricultural hinterland, on roads that are narrow, exposed and, in the hills, often single track.
Towns in this area
Who we help in Pembrokeshire
The claimants we act for most often in this area, with the page that explains each in more detail.
All Pembrokeshire towns we cover
Each page below covers the local accident mix, the roads and the connections that shape it, and how a claim works in that area. Every one includes a map of the area covered.
The Pembrokeshire area we cover
We help clients across the whole of Pembrokeshire, from the Milford Haven waterway and the south coast through Haverfordwest, Narberth and Tenby to Fishguard and the north. The map below shows the county, and you can open it in Google Maps to explore the towns and roads mentioned on this page.
We help clients in Pembrokeshire. We do not have a physical office in Pembrokeshire and we do not claim to. Our registered address is Unit 16, Titan Court, Laporte Way, Luton, England, LU4 8EF, which is a registered and administrative address only. Injury Law Specialists is a marketing and advertising platform and is not a law firm or a provider of regulated legal services. All personal injury legal advice, casework and representation arranged through Injury Law Specialists are provided by MB Solicitors, a trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under SRA ID 8000764.
Where to find out more
Frequently asked questions about personal injury claims in Pembrokeshire
Do you have an office in Pembrokeshire?
No. We do not have a physical office anywhere in Pembrokeshire, and we do not claim to. Our registered address is in Luton, and we provide access to personal injury solicitors who act for clients across the whole county. Cases are handled by telephone, email, WhatsApp and video call, with a client seen at a convenient location where a meeting is genuinely needed.
How long do I have to make a personal injury claim in Pembrokeshire?
For many claims the general limitation period is three years from the date of the accident, or from your later date of knowledge where that applies. Different rules can apply to children, to people who lack mental capacity, and to fatal accident and criminal injury claims. Two points matter particularly here, and both matter a great deal. First, the Milford Haven waterway is one of the largest energy ports in the country, with oil and gas terminals, refineries, power generation, jetties, quays and marine operations, along with the ferry ports at Pembroke Dock and Fishguard and a very large fishing fleet, so where an injury happens on the water, on a vessel, on a jetty, on a quay or in the course of dock, port, terminal or marine work, different time limits and different courts can apply from the ordinary land based rules, and those limits can be considerably shorter than three years. Second, the county's farming, fishing and process industry can all expose people over months or years to substances, noise, vibration and repetitive strain rather than producing a single incident, so the date of knowledge rules can be central. In both cases advice should be taken quickly.
Can I claim for an injury in port, terminal, jetty or marine work at Milford Haven or Pembroke Dock?
Yes, where the injury was caused by unsafe working conditions, inadequate training, defective or unmaintained equipment, an unassessed hazard, or a failure to provide a safe system of work. The Milford Haven waterway is one of the largest and busiest energy ports in the country, with oil and gas terminals, refineries, power generation, jetties, quays, wharves and the marine, engineering, fabrication and industrial operations that serve them, along with a very large commercial fishing fleet, boatyards and slipways, and the ferry port at Pembroke Dock runs daily services to Ireland. Claims from that work commonly involve being struck by or crushed by vehicles, cranes, plant, loads and equipment on a quay, a jetty or in a yard, falls from height on vessels, tanks, towers, structures and staging, falls from the quay, the jetty or between the vessel and the quayside, falls overboard and into water, mooring and line handling injuries, lifting injuries and dropped loads, crush and entrapment in winches, ropes, cables, plant and machinery, and slips, trips and falls on wet, oily, icy and cluttered surfaces and on ramps, steps and gangways. The energy and process side adds the further hazards of hydrocarbon and gas handling, confined space work, hot work, pressure systems and heavy construction and maintenance campaigns. Those claims turn on the operator's and the employer's risk assessments, permit to work and isolation procedures, gas and exposure monitoring records, plant inspection and maintenance records, training and competence records and the incident records, and because an injury on the water or on a vessel can carry different and shorter time limits, advice should be taken quickly.
Can I claim for a fall on the coast or the coast path in Pembrokeshire?
Yes, where the body responsible for that surface, step, ramp, barrier, path edge or route failed to maintain it to a reasonable standard, or failed to take reasonable steps to deal with a hazard it knew or should have known about, and that caused your fall. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers almost the whole of the county's coastline, and the beaches, cliffs, bays, headlands, promenades, sea walls, harbours, slipways and the coast path are carried by very large numbers of visitors throughout the year. The coast faces the full force of the Atlantic and the Irish Sea, so a coastal authority has to contend with wind blown sand and salt, seaweed, algae, standing water, storm damage, cliff erosion and falls of rock and material, and it is expected to know that and to plan its inspections, its maintenance and in places its closures around it. Cliff and coastal path erosion is a real and continuing issue along this coast, and where a route has been affected by erosion, landslip or a fall of material, that is usually the central question in a claim rather than the surface alone, and the cliffs and paths carry real drops where the adequacy of a barrier, a handrail or a warning is frequently the issue. Around a working harbour, slipway or quay the position is different again, because those are places of work as well as public routes, and the duties and the regulatory framework there differ. A landowner or authority is not liable for every hazard that occurs naturally on a coast, and there is a degree of risk people accept, but occupiers and those responsible for maintained routes, steps, barriers and warning signs do owe duties. Photographing the specific spot as soon as possible, with the weather and the state of the ground visible, strengthens a claim considerably.
Can I claim for an injury in farming or fishing work in Pembrokeshire?
Yes, where the injury was caused by unsafe working conditions, inadequate training or supervision, defective or unmaintained machinery, gear or equipment, an unassessed or inadequately controlled hazard, unsuitable plant for the task, or a failure to provide a safe system of work. Pembrokeshire is a genuinely working agricultural and fishing county, and both carry some of the highest rates of serious and fatal injury of any sector. In farming and contracting, claims commonly involve machinery and equipment, with entanglement, crush, cutting, amputation and power take off injuries, being run over or struck by tractors, quad bikes, telehandlers and loaders, overturning and tipping, falls from height on machinery, trailers, stacks and bales, being struck or crushed by falling or rolling objects, livestock injuries from cattle, bulls and sheep, lifting injuries, and exposure to cold, wet and wind, dusts, spores, mould, pesticides, veterinary medicines, vibration, noise and zoonotic infection, along with the particular risks of slurry handling, tankers, stores, pits and gases in a dairy and mixed farming economy. In fishing and marine work, the pattern runs to the hazards of hauling, winches, ropes and deck machinery, moving gear and pots, falls on wet and moving decks, man overboard, being struck by gear, crush and entrapment, and the very particular dangers of working a small boat alone or in poor conditions. Both sets of claims turn on the employer's or skipper's risk assessments, training and competence records, machinery, gear and lifting inspection and maintenance records and the records that followed the incident, and because a great deal of both kinds of work is done by self employed farmers, family workers, contractors and share fishermen, establishing who actually employed you is frequently the first question.
Can I claim if I was injured in a collision on a rural or coastal road in Pembrokeshire?
Yes, if another road user's negligence caused your injuries. Pembrokeshire sits at the end of the main routes to the Irish ferry ports, with the A40 and the A477 carrying very heavy volumes of commuting, freight, port, agricultural and tourist traffic across the county, so a high proportion of collisions on them involve drivers who were not local, several vehicles, or heavy goods and agricultural vehicles. The rural and coastal lanes are the harder problem: narrow carriageways with short sight lines, high banks and hedges, no footway, poor lighting and frequently single track, where slow moving agricultural machinery, wide vehicles, livestock moving between fields, horse riders, cyclists and, in season, very large numbers of visitors are all part of the ordinary traffic picture, and where a collision frequently involves a single vehicle on a bend or a gradient. Because the physical evidence on a rural road is often transient, it is worth taking advice and preserving what you can quickly: photographs of the scene, the road markings, the vegetation, the obstructions and the sight lines, the police report if one was made, and any dash camera or camera footage, along with details of any vehicles or people in the area at the time. Where the other driver was uninsured or untraced, a claim through the Motor Insurers' Bureau may be possible.
How much compensation could I receive for an injury in Pembrokeshire?
There is no figure that can be applied to an injury by name. Compensation has two parts: general damages for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity the injury itself has caused, and special damages for the financial losses it has produced, such as lost earnings, treatment, rehabilitation, care and travel. The total depends on the medical evidence, the effect on your life, your age and circumstances and the losses you have suffered. Our page on personal injury compensation explains how both parts are assessed.
Will I have to attend court in Pembrokeshire?
Most personal injury claims settle through negotiation without a hearing, so attending court is uncommon. Where proceedings are issued, the case is usually dealt with at a court convenient for where you live, and Haverfordwest has its own county court, with the Carmarthen, Aberystwyth and Swansea civil justice centre and combined court centre also serving the wider area. Where a hearing is needed, we explain what is involved in advance.
Can I claim on a No Win No Fee basis in Pembrokeshire?
Suitable cases may be accepted under a Conditional Fee Agreement, commonly called No Win No Fee, subject to an assessment of liability, the evidence, the prospects of success and proportionality. If the claim does not succeed you generally do not pay our basic legal fees, and if it does a success fee may be payable. In many personal injury claims the applicable legal cap is 25% of the relevant categories of damages including VAT, although the actual deduction and funding arrangements depend upon the agreement and your circumstances. These terms are explained in full before you decide whether to proceed.
Do you help clients elsewhere in west Wales?
Yes. We act for clients across the whole of west and mid Wales, including Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, and the communities between them. You can see the full list on our areas we cover page, or read more about how personal injury claims work across Pembrokeshire and the surrounding counties.
Who provides the legal services?
Injury Law Specialists is a marketing and advertising platform and is not a law firm or a provider of regulated legal services. All personal injury legal advice, casework and representation arranged through Injury Law Specialists are provided by MB Solicitors, a trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under SRA ID 8000764.
Not sure whether you have a personal injury claim in Pembrokeshire?
You do not need to understand the law before contacting us, and you do not need to travel. Tell us briefly what happened and a member of our team can review the information and explain the possible next steps. There is no charge for an initial assessment and no obligation to proceed.
Free initial assessment. No Win No Fee may be available, subject to assessment.