A slip, trip or fall may sound like a fairly innocuous accident, but they can often result in painful injuries. When this happens, you’ll need someone on your side helping you establish whether it was the fault of someone else and if you could have a claim for compensation to help you recover.
Types of slip, trip or fall accident injuries
The government’s Health and Safety Executive has found that slipping and tripping are the most common cause of major injuries in UK workplaces, with 60 per cent of specified injuries to employees being accounted for by slips or trips, as well as falls from height.
If you suffered a slip, trip or fall accident, it could have been caused by debris not being cleared from floors, uneven floors or stairs, wet floors, cracked pavements or roads, holes in floors, inadequate warning signs, broken floor tiles, missing handrails or inadequate lighting in a certain area.
When this happens, you may suffer a number of injuries. Some of the most common are:
- Bruising
- Lacerations
- Broken and fractured bones
- Muscle sprains
- Torn ligaments
- Joint dislocations
- Brain injuries
Can you make a claim for a slip, trip or fall accident?
If you’ve had a slip, trip or fall accident in the last three years that was the fault of another person or organisation, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. Regardless of where the accident took place, if the injury was down to negligent upkeep, you may be eligible for compensation.
Many of these accidents happen at work, where employers are legally responsible for the health and safety of their workers. If your slip, trip or fall was caused by a disregard for this responsibility, we could help you make a personal injury compensation claim.
Meanwhile, dangerous protruding paving stones and potholes are a major cause of serious injuries after a slip, trip or fall. Local authorities can be held accountable for accidents like this as it is their responsibility to make sure roads and paths are safe for pedestrians.
Furthermore, there are laws protecting people from falling in public venues, such as shops, restaurants and car parks. If the owners of these establishments have not adhered to their responsibility to ensure the safety of their customers and you suffer an injury from a slip or trip accident as a result, you may be entitled to compensation.
How much compensation can you claim for a slip, trip or fall accident?
Whether you’ve suffered a slip, trip or fall in the last three years, you could be eligible for compensation. However, the level of what you can claim for will depend largely on the injuries you sustained, as well as the length of your recovery period and whether there are any expected long-term consequences.
The settlement that you receive will help you with the financial repercussions of your injury, including hospital and rehabilitation bills. It will also help you make up for any income you may have lost by missing work for recuperation or follow-up medical procedures.
- We helped a client who suffered a fractured right foot and soft tissue injury to her left foot and arm after tripping in a pothole. We secured her £4,000 in compensation.
- Another of our clients sustained injuries to her left leg and hamstring, right knee, upper back and neck after slipping on a wet floor without adequate warning signage. We helped her obtain £6,500.
When to start the claims process?
Starting the claims process as soon as you can is the best thing to do when you experience a slip, trip or fall accident. You may find it more straightforward to gather evidence and witness statements to support your claim by starting it quickly.
However, it may be possible to make a claim up to three years after the accident happened. If you’re not sure whether your slip, trip or fall happened within the time limit, give our expert team a call.
Why choose Hayward Baker?
At Hayward Baker, we understand the importance of experience when you come to choose your solicitor. We’ve helped a huge number of clients in the past who have suffered slips, trips or falls secure compensation so we know what it takes to support you.
Our team of experts also know how important communication is, so we will keep you updated with every development in your case. We don’t use legal jargon, so we’ll ensure you understand the process and how it affects you.
Your injury claim is personal to you, so we will not simply treat you as another case. The service we provide you will be tailored according to what you are looking for from your solicitor. Making a compensation claim is a big step and we understand that. That is why we’ll try to make you feel at ease throughout the process.
