Slipping and Tripping Accidents - Personal Injury

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Slipping/Tripping Accidents

If you have suffered an injury as a result of slipping, tripping or falling in a public place such as a shop, an office or even walking down the street, you may be able to claim compensation if the accident was not your fault. You have the right to expect that any public place (or even any private building or home) is safe from slippery or defective surfaces such as wires, raised paving stones or damaged carpets.

Common causes of slip, trip and falling accidents are defects in the ground such as broken paving slabs, uneven ground or sometimes objects protruding from the pavement. Usually maintenance of a public road or footpath will be the responsibility of the Local Authority.

Tripping accidents can also occur at work. Your employer or fellow employee may be responsible for your fall whether you slipped on a liquid or substance which should not have been there, fell over something in a common walkway or tripped on an uneven surface. Even if the accident was the result of a fellow employee leaving something in a walkway or spilling something, your employer can be held responsible. Your employer is responsible for the behaviour of all their employees and for ensuring that they follow proper health and safety procedures to keep the workplace free from hazards.

You may also be able to make a claim if you are in a supermarket, restaurant or a shop and you slip on a wet surface or receive injuries from tripping over an obstruction.

If you can, you should take photographs of the area where you slipped or the object which caused you to trip. You will need to prove that the owner or occupier was aware of the hazard and that no steps were taken to warn people or to correct the problem.

All you have to do is concentrate on getting better and leave the worries of pursuing the claim to us.

For an initial free consultation or to obtain further details, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of slip/trip accidents can I claim for?
If you have suffered an injury from slipping, tripping or falling in a public space such as a shop, an office or even walking down the street, you can claim compensation if the accident was not your fault. You have the right to expect that any public place you enter or even any private building or home is safe from slippery surfaces and things you can trip over such as wires, raised paving stones or damaged carpet.
Can I claim if I trip over a broken paving slab?
Common causes of tripping accidents are defects on the ground such as broken paving slabs, uneven ground or something protruding from the pavement. Usually accidents on a public road or footpath will be the responsibility of the local Council.
What about if I fall at work?
Tripping accidents frequently occur at work. Your employer may be responsible for your fall by their lack of care whether you slipped on a liquid or substance which should not have been there, fell over something in a common walkway or tripped on an uneven surface. If the accident was the result of a co-worker leaving something in a walkway or spilling something, your employer is liable through what is known as 'vicarious responsibility'. This means your employer is responsible for the behaviour of all their employees and for ensuring that they follow proper safety procedures to keep the workplace free from health risks.
What will I need to show?
You must be able to prove another party was at least partly responsible for your slipping or tripping accident and that the person responsible for the area where you fell was aware of the problem, or should have been aware of it, and did not take appropriate steps to fix it.
What can I do to help my claim?
If possible, you should take photographs of the ground where you slipped or the object which caused you to trip.
What can I claim for?
You can recover compensation for your injury, pain and suffering together with any other losses, such as prescription charges, medical treatment, loss of earnings and any other expense incurred as a result of the slipping accident and your injury.