In the aftermath of a slip, trip, or fall accident, you may wonder if you’re eligible to make a compensation claim. Being injured doesn’t necessarily mean you have a valid claim – here we will help you to understand whether or not you should proceed with claiming compensation.
Slips, Trips and Falls Compensation Claims
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Can I claim injury compensation after a slip, trip or fall?
In the UK, you can make a personal injury claim if you were injured due to a slip, trip, or fall that was caused by someone else’s negligence, usually as a result of breaking health and safety rules. The accident could have happened in a variety of locations such as in a shop, at work, on a pavement, or in public places like pubs and restaurants. You could also potentially claim against a local council for falls due to uneven paths or potholes.
If an organisation fails to minimise the risk of injury on their premises, for example, by not repairing defects, cleaning up a spillage, erecting a hazard warning sign, or removing a hazardous obstruction, they can be found liable to compensate the injured party. All have a responsibility to ensure people’s safety under the Occupier’s Liability Act 1957.
The questions raised about slip, trip and fall claims will further help you to understand the wide range of scenarios involved.
Our slip and trip solicitors can help you to claim no win no fee compensation to ease some of the problems you’ll face after an injury, with a settlement that can include the recovery of lost wages, expenses and private rehabilitation therapies.
The majority of slipping accident claims arise from a slip on a wet floor. Whether you’re at work, out shopping or in a restaurant, a wet floor presents a considerable risk of injury to people and those responsible for people’s safety on the premises should always take action to clean it up and warn people of the danger.
If there is water or other liquid present, a wet floor sign should be displayed. These should always be on show when floors are being cleaned – claims have a strong chance of success if you slip on a wet floor because a cleaner hasn’t displayed a warning sign.
Such action must also be taken in a timely manner. For example, if a floor remains wet for an extended period any warning sign may become redundant and the premises could still be held liable for not removing a known hazard within a reasonable time frame.
We also see a lot of claimants slipping in entrance ways during wet weather. Rain and snow obviously increases the risk of floors becoming wet, so building entrances should have a mat to stop excess water being walked onto the floor.
If you injure yourself after slipping on a wet floor you’ll be able to claim if your accident should have been prevented by drying the floor or warning you it was wet.
Land owners can’t be held liable for bad weather but there is a duty of care when it comes to preventing slips on ice and snow. For example, work yards where an employer expects staff to operate must be treated within a reasonable time of ice appearing. Car parks and entrances at work and schools should also be treated, or signage placed to warn of the hazard. Steps and platforms at bus and train stations are also subject to higher duties of care.
However, the same rules do not necessarily apply to all locations. For example, car parks can’t always be expected to be fully gritted and salted. The same applies to slipping on icy pavements. Local authorities have a responsibility to grit/salt the roads and they do so in order of importance, with the major routes like motorways and A-roads being prioritised over lesser roads. Typically, should someone slip and fall on a public footpath due to ice, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to prove sufficient liability against the local authority highways department to enable them to win any claim for personal injury compensation.
Entertainment venues such as clubs, pubs and restaurants have the same duty of care as anywhere else to prevent injury to their customers. This includes maintaining clean and safe premises, promptly cleaning up spillages, and signposting any potential hazards. If you’ve been injured in a slip, trip or fall accident in a pub or restaurant due to their negligence, you may be able to make a claim.
Clearly, if you slip or trip and fall after running around mucking about, or jumping from high up, any injuries you have are going to be seen as your own fault. However, being a little drunk does not actually stop you from being able to make a claim for compensation.
Going out for a few drinks is a legal activity and as such, it is foreseeable that patrons may be a bit tipsy. As such, there is a greater onus on the landlord to make sure that the facilities are safe, that signs are erected and floors are not left wet. If the 3rd party tries to argue that your injury was caused because you were drunk, they may be able to force you to have to admit some responsibility, but you would still have a claim.
Ensure you report the accident to the management immediately, and gather any evidence that could support your claim.
Slips, trips or falls account for almost a third of all workplace injuries reported under RIDDOR according to Government data for 2022/23.
Employers have a duty of care to ensure the safety of their employees. This includes providing a safe working environment, offering appropriate training, and adhering to health and safety regulations. If you’ve been injured in a slip, trip or fall accident at work due to your employer’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.
Employers are required to regularly inspect work areas to check for hazards and take action to reduce any risk. Any employer who leaves a hazard in place without properly erecting hazard warning signs will be held at fault.
Claims for slipping on a wet floor at work are common, particularly among kitchen staff. We also see falls resulting from incorrect footwear or if a floor surface is not fit for purpose, perhaps requiring a non-slip covering. Injuries also arise as a result of a messy workplace, if wires or cables are not stored properly or if items are left in walkways or beside desks etc.
Always report the incident to your employer immediately and ensure it is recorded in the accident book. You should also seek medical attention even if the injury appears minor at first.
Shops have a responsibility to ensure their premises are safe for customers. This includes promptly cleaning up spillages, maintaining clear walkways, and signposting any potential hazards. If you’ve had a slip, trip or fall accident in a shop due to their negligence, you may be able to make a claim.
Shoppers often injure themselves after slipping in shop entrances during wet weather, or inside a supermarket due to a spillage or a leak on the floor. Sometimes the floor has been subjected to intense polishing, rendering it dangerously slippy.
Common hazards should be assessed and removed with regular inspections. In general, walkways should be kept clear and at the entrance to a shop, restaurant or other public venue, there should be a mat to enable people to wipe off excess rain water. If there is a spillage, wet floor or other slipping risk a hazard warning sign should be erected. If they have failed to display a hazard warning sign, you are likely to have a strong claim for personal injury compensation.
Be sure to report the accident to the shop immediately, and gather any evidence such as photographs of the hazard and contact details of witnesses.
The maintenance of public spaces, paths and roads fall under the responsibility of your local council. They are required to inspect and identify hazards that should be removed or fixed, such as cracked surfaces, damaged railings or missing lighting. If the council has failed to uphold its statutory duties and left an area in a dangerous condition for too long, they can be held liable for your injuries.
Defending such claims is made easier for local authorities because the courts have decided that the onus to prove council negligence should rest on the claimant. To prove liability, claimants must show that the council had known about the hazard before the accident. Furthermore, they must demonstrate that the council had reasonable time to inspect that area and should have repaired the hazard and removed the risk of injury.
A claimant will usually need to demonstrate that the hazard that caused them to sustain injury was present for a period of at least 6 months before their accident date.
To make a claim against a local authority or other land owner after a trip and fall on a broken pavement, the claimant must demonstrate that the defect (a raised edge, or hole, for example) met specific size requirements, usually a depth or height of over 1 inch.
Any defects found that have a vertical tripping edge of 1″ or more should be listed for repair and removed from the footpath as quickly as possible. If a hazard has been in situ for 6 months or more, it should have been highlighted for repair if the local authority correctly inspected the pavement in question.
How to contact your council
The UK Government website can direct you to who to contact if you’ve been injured because of a hazard on a road or pavement.
The criteria for having a valid claim
Simply being injured doesn’t mean you are eligible to claim personal injury compensation, you have to meet some criteria for a claim to be valid. Here’s what you need to know.
Establishing Liability
The fundamental basis for a successful slip, trip, or fall claim is to establish that a third party was responsible for your accident. This could be a business owner, an employer, or a local authority, among others. If they failed to uphold their duty of care to you — for example, by not cleaning up a spillage, repairing a defect, or adequately signposting a hazard — they may be found liable for your injuries.
Adverse weather conditions, poor lighting and unexpected obstacles can all have a role to play in such claims, but often the accident is ultimately due to negligence. However, if the accident was entirely your fault, you would typically not have a valid claim.
Severity and Impact of the Injury
The injury suffered needs to be serious enough to warrant a compensation claim. Minor scrapes or bruises may not qualify. If the injury has had a significant impact on your life — for example, if it has led to loss of earnings, required medical treatment, or caused ongoing pain and suffering — then it may meet the criteria for a claim.
Time Limits
In most cases, a personal injury claim must be initiated within three years of the accident. This time limit is essential, and failing to adhere to it can result in your claim being dismissed, regardless of its validity. There are, however, exceptions for individuals who were minors at the time of the accident, or for those who were unable to make a claim due to mental incapacity.
Evidence
Having strong evidence to support your claim can greatly increase your chances of success. This can include photographs of the accident scene, medical records of your injuries, witness statements, and any incident reports filed at the time of the accident.
Understanding liability in slip, trip, and fall accidents
Establishing liability is a key aspect in any slip, trip, or fall compensation claim. But what exactly does it mean and how is it determined? Here’s a closer look at understanding liability in these types of accidents.
What is Liability?
In the context of a slip, trip, or fall accident, liability refers to the responsibility for the accident and the resulting injuries. If a third party — an individual, a business, a local council, or another entity — failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the accident, they could be held liable for any injuries that occurred as a result.
Duty of Care
Entities such as business owners, employers, and local authorities have a legal obligation, or ‘duty of care,’ to ensure the safety of individuals on their premises. This includes regular maintenance, prompt clean-up of spillages, adequate signage for potential hazards, and ensuring all health and safety regulations are adhered to. If this duty of care is breached, and an accident occurs as a result, they could be found liable.
Proving Liability
Proving liability can sometimes be a complex process. It involves demonstrating that the third party was negligent and that their negligence directly led to the accident. Evidence, such as photographs of the hazard, witness statements, accident reports, and medical records, can help establish liability.
Shared Liability
In some cases, liability may not be entirely clear-cut. There may be situations where both parties share some degree of responsibility for the accident, a concept known as ‘contributory negligence’, or ‘split liability‘. For example, if you tripped over a clearly signposted hazard, you may be deemed partially responsible. However, you could still make a claim, although any compensation awarded may be reduced proportionately.
Frequently Asked Questions
If another party has accepted fault for your injuries, you have a good chance of making a successful claim. However, things aren’t always cut and dried when it comes to proving liability so it’s always worth speaking with a solicitor. If an organisation seems to appear unwilling to accept liability, or you don’t know who is responsible, you can still often succeed with a claim for compensation. Your prospects of success will be enhanced if you have good evidence to support your claim.
Sometimes during a claim, responsibility for the accident can be shared between the two parties. For instance, if you slip and fall in a nightclub while drunk, but the cause of your accident can be attributed to negligence, you might find you are 25% at fault and so only get 75% of the compensation.
Where there’s a risk of slipping or tripping in public or at work you will usually find a yellow ‘Hazard Warning Sign‘. If there was no hazard sign erected, you are likely to have a valid claim for compensation.
However, in some circumstances, displaying a warning sign won’t prevent you claiming. You could still be able to claim if it can be demonstrated that the sign was inadequately displayed – hidden or obscured from view, or located in the wrong place.
How much compensation you can claim is calculated from the severity of the injury, your financial losses and the impact on your quality of life. For example, a wrist injury that has resulted in permanent pain and stiffness could amount to between £10,000 and £20,000. That’s just for the injury itself, not including ‘special damages‘, which relate to incurred expenses and other effects on the injured person’s life, such as lost income.
You will be advised once initial evidence has been collected as to the likely level of compensation for your injury. Usually we will claim for the following on your behalf:
- The pain and distress caused to you by the injuries sustained
- Associated costs and losses
- Lost earnings if you have been away from work as a result of the accident
- Medical treatments, rehabilitation therapies and post accident care
- Restrictions on your ability to fulfil your usual activities and social life
- Miscellaneous expenses (bus fares, painkillers etc)
Compensation amounts for common fall injuries
There are guidelines issued by the courts for solicitors, but it’s impossible to say exactly how much you can expect as all cases vary. Our solicitors are experts in handling accident claims and know how to use the guidelines to ensure you receive the right amount of compensation. Some example values are listed in the table below for common fall injury claims:
Type of injury | Compensation amount |
---|---|
Neck injury | £2,000 - £140,000 |
Minor brain or head injury | £2,070 - £11,980 |
Finger injury | £4,000 - £85,000 |
Wrist injury | £3,310 - £44,690 |
Hip or pelvis injury | £3,710 - £24,950 |
Fractured forearm | £6,190 - £18,020 |
Permanent back injury | £11,730 - £26,050 |
Serious shoulder injury | £11,980 - £18,020 |
Ankle injury | £12,900 - £46,980 |
A solid slip, trip or fall claim will usually need evidence and/or witnesses to back it up.
Without evidence your slip, trip or fall happened, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to claim, so you’ll need to report the details of your accident to the right people. Your employer and any location open to the public should have an accident book and a way of recording incidents. This provides evidence your injuries occurred on their patch.
Ideally, the incident should be recorded with the company or authority responsible for the area in which the accident happened.
In the case of a trip or fall on a footpath, the matter should be reported to the Highways Department of the local authority.
If you fall in a shop or restaurant, it should be recorded in an accident book within the premises. If you can’t do that, take photos or send a letter reporting the incident to the management.
Medical evidence will be used to evaluate how much your injury claim is worth, so it’s important to seek professional medical treatment for your injuries at the earliest opportunity.
If all this seems a bit complicated, or you haven’t done any of the above, don’t worry – if you we can talk you through it and help you to complete the necessary steps.
Injuries need to be of a certain severity for a claim to be made – minor bumps and bruises are unlikely to be awarded compensation and it is usually the case that your injury has to be present for at least a few weeks.
For example, if you sprained your ankle mildly and recovered within a fortnight, you would struggle to bring a claim. But if you sprained it badly, tearing the ligaments and spent 6 weeks on crutches and then had 5 physio sessions, your claim would easily pass the test.
If you haven’t had medical treatment, it is possible that your injuries will not be seen as serious enough. If you haven’t seen a GP, you still can. If they are happy to note your injuries are consistent with a slip, trip or fall, you have will medical evidence to support your claim. If you haven’t had medical treatment, that doesn’t mean that you cannot claim. Please contact us to discuss your injuries and accident and we will advise you.
Slips, trips and falls can also occur at home. Owning a house makes you the responsible party, so it’s unlikely you can make a claim against someone else. If you rent, your landlord or housing association is responsible for ensuring the property is safe and properly maintained, as outlined in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This legislation protects your rights as a tenant, and you may be able to hold your landlord liable for your injuries if you have previously reported a hazard (such as a leak or a maintenance issue) but the Landlord has failed to undertake any repairs within a reasonable time frame.
With a No Win No Fee agreement a claimant will pay nothing if their claim is unsuccessful, so long as they have not acted fraudulently.
If a solicitor succeeds with a No Win No Fee claim for their client, they will deduct up to 25% of the awarded compensation. This deduction goes towards the Solicitors legal fees, with further costs chargeable to the defendant.
The only other cost that a claimant may face on success of their claim is for any provided After the Event (ATE) insurance cover that the Solicitor had to put in place at the outset of the claim. Again, it is worth noting that ATE insurance is only payable if and when a claim succeeds and never payable if a claim fails.
While a private medical report is usually required to provide evidence of your injuries, you should not have to pay for this and it will be arranged by your solicitor.
One other financial impact to consider is that if you currently receive state funded benefits, such as Universal Credit or similar, your compensation could affect your benefits entitlement and the amount you receive.
Start your slip, trip or fall claim with us
You can start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285. We’ll only need a few minutes of your time to let you know if you can make a claim. If you decide to go ahead we’ll connect you with our specialist slip and trip solicitors who have a proven track record of success.
With over 20 years’ experience, you can use our knowledge and expertise to get your claim off to the best start. There is no charge for assessing your case, so you have nothing to lose and much to gain if you can make a successful claim.
We’ve helped many clients win compensation after a fall, including:
- A lady who tripped over a raised paving stone caused by a tree root growing under the surface of pavement, sustaining a broken arm.
- A mother of 3 who slipped on water that had leaked from a broken freezer unit in a supermarket, causing a dislocated knee.
- A man who fell in a large pothole in a cul-de-sac, fracturing his ankle.
- A worker who slipped on oil leaking from a faulty forklift truck, breaking his leg in the process.
Importantly, claims are made on a No Win No Fee basis, so you pay nothing if your claim fails.
325 questions have been answered on this subject, view questions or why not ask your own?
Latest questions
Asked on: Slip, Trip and Falls Compensation Claims – Your Questions Answered
Question: I went out on a night out and we caught an Uber Taxi to get home, first passenger was dropped off and second passenger was second drop off. Four minutes after the first passenger was dropped off the second passenger vomited in the car, despite paying for the taxi fare and cleanup the taxi driver terminated the ride at 1.36am leaving the second passenger on his own under the influence of alcohol and having a heart condition and diabetic. Leaving the passenger stranded the passenger fell and injured his face hands and legs. Is the taxi driver liable for the injury leaving the second passenger stranded 8 miles from home in the rain and own his own. He had to catch another taxi when he found a 24 hour petrol station where the cashier helped him order another Uber taxi which got him home. Passenger has legal expenses cover but the panel soliton says the claim does not meet the 51% threshold to pay legal fees.- Although nobody could argue that the taxi driver could have and morally should have provided a better service, the prospects of succeeding with a claim for personal injury on the grounds of negligence by the taxi driver are almost non-existent. Whilst the taxi driver didn't provide a great service, it is impossible to establish that they have breached duty and therefore could be legally responsible for negligence in terms of the injuries your friend sustained when they later fell over. The courts would argue that your friend lost control of their actions through drinking too much and the taxi driver is not responsible for that.
Asked on: Slip, Trip and Falls Compensation Claims – Your Questions Answered
Question: Hi, I rent privately, and when I moved in 2 and a half years ago, there was a wooden door stopper already there, to use to keep the kitchen door open because it’s very heavy. At night, I tend to shut the kitchen door tight. Last week, I woke about midnight, and went into the kitchen to get a water from my fridge. I turned the light on first, but then I stood on the wooden door stopper, and it slid on the hard tiles, and my head hit the radiator. I ended up with 16 stitches on my head and a massive, swollen black eye. Am I able to make a claim off my landlord for my severe injuries?- Is the wooden door stopper secured to the floor or movable? If the door stopper is secured to the floor and maybe considered to be a tripping hazard, we might be able to assist you with a claim.If you can provide photographs of the door stopper, please email them to us at justice@direct2compensation.co.uk along with your contact number and we'll review this matter and advise further.
325 questions have been answered on this subject, view questions or why not ask your own?