How To Claim For Falling On Pavement
Talk to our advisors today to find out more about making a public liability claim if you fell on pavement.
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How To Claim For Falling On Pavement?
Talk to our advisors today to find out more about making a public liability claim if you fell on a pavement.
Last updated 11th February 2025. In this article, you’ll learn when you can claim compensation for falling on a pavement. We begin by outlining the key criteria for eligibility in personal injury claims, followed by examples of common pavement-related accidents in public places.
We’ll then explain how much compensation you might receive for tripping on a pavement and discuss the types of evidence needed to strengthen your claim.
Finally, you’ll find details about how our solicitors can assist you through a No Win No Fee arrangement, explaining clearly how it works and how it benefits you.
To help you fully understand your options, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation for all pavement accident claims. To arrange yours or to ask any questions about the claims process, you can:
- Call our team of advisors on 0151 375 9916.
- Use our ‘Contact Us‘ form to get in touch.
- Chat live with one of our online advisors about how to claim compensation.
What Is A Pavement Accident Claim?
A pavement accident claim is a legal action designed to help you obtain compensation for injuries caused by falling on poorly maintained pavements.
For instance, a raised paving slab may cause you to trip, resulting in injuries such as a broken wrist or hip.
When the organisation responsible for pavement maintenance is proven to be at fault, you become eligible to receive compensation for your injuries.
Can I Claim For Falling On Pavement?
If you’ve suffered injuries from falling on a pavement, you might wonder if you can claim compensation. You could be eligible if your accident meets certain essential criteria.
To successfully pursue a pavement injury claim, three conditions must be met: you must have been owed a duty of care, that duty must have been breached, and the breach must have directly caused your injuries.
When using public pavements, you’re owed a duty of care by those responsible for maintaining them. According to the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, councils and other organisations in charge of pavement upkeep must ensure they’re reasonably safe for public use. If they neglect this responsibility, pavements can become hazardous and cause injuries.
For example, imagine you’re walking at night along a pavement maintained by your local council. A raised paving slab causes you to trip, resulting in a broken ankle. If it can be demonstrated that the council breached their duty by failing to regularly inspect and repair the pavement, you may qualify for compensation.
Contact our helpful advisors today to begin your claim or to find out how much compensation you could receive for your pavement accident.
How Much Compensation For Tripping On Pavement?
Compensation for tripping on a pavement can be formed of two heads of loss. The first is called general damages which covers any physical pain or emotional suffering caused by the injuries.
When claiming for falling on a pavement, you might need to attend an appointment with an independent medical specialist during the claims process. The report generated from this assessment will help whoever is valuing your claim to determine the correct level of compensation. It may also be used in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
The JCG provides guideline settlement brackets for many different types of injuries. Therefore, we’ve used the data in our compensation table that follows. Please note, however, that the figures listed are not guaranteed because pavement injury claims are valued on an individual basis.
Potential Compensation Awards In Pavement Accident Claims
Note, that the first line in our table does not come from the JCG.
| Type Of Injury | Category | Guideline Settlement Bracket | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages | Severe | Up to £1,000,000 + | Compensation for multiple severe injuries that lead to physical and psychological pain. Also, covers special damages including the cost of a carer, medical expenses, lost earnings and home modifications. |
| Injury Resulting From Brain Injury | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | Brain injuries that result in little or no environmental response, double incontinence, the requirement for full time care and little or no language function. |
| Neck Injuries | Severe(i) | In the region of £181,020 | Neck injuries that cause permanent spastic quadriparesis. |
| Severe(ii) | £80,240 to £159,770 | Considerable severe disabilities linked to serious damage or fractures to the discs in the cervical spine. | |
| Knee Injuries | Severe(i) | £85,100 to £117,410 | Knee injuries that cause gross ligamentous damage, osteoarthritis, considerable pain and loss of function and where lengthy treatment is needed. |
| Back Injuries | Severe(ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 | Nerve root damage with associated loss of sensation amongst other issues. |
| Leg Injuries | Severe(ii) | £66,920 to £109,290 | Very serious leg injuries that cause permanent mobility problems with the need for crutches for the rest of the claimant’s life. |
| Ankle Injuries | Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | Injuries that have needed an extensive treatment period and/or long time in plaster. |
Can I Claim Back Any Money I Lost Because Of The Accident?
The second head of loss, special damages, covers any out of pocket expenses incurred due to injuries sustained from tripping on a pavement.
As such if your claim for falling on a pavement is successful, it could include compensation to reimburse the following:
- Care costs.
- Medical expenses.
- Lost income.
- The cost of making changes to your home or vehicle to help you cope with any permanent disabilities linked to your injuries.
- Travel expenses.
To help prove any costs you’ve incurred following a public liability accident, you should retain evidence such as receipts, wage slips, or bank statements.
If you’ve suffered a pavement injury and want us to provide an estimate of what your potential claim could be worth, please feel free to call.
How Can I Prove My Pavement Accident Claim?
When making a claim for falling on a pavement, it’s important to establish who was responsible for the accident, why it happened, and how your injuries have affected you. You can do this by gathering as much evidence as possible.
Some examples of evidence that could help when claiming for a fall in the street include:
- A diary of medical treatment you’ve received and the symptoms you have experienced after the accident caused your injuries.
- Copies of medical records. These can be generated after you seek medical attention.
- The contact information from any witnesses who saw you fall.
- Photographic evidence of the raised pavement or other pavement defect or your injuries caused by the defect.
- CCTV footage or other recordings of the accident.
If one of our expert solicitors offers to represent you, they can help you gather evidence and build your case as part of the services they offer.
Get in touch to find out more about how they can help and whether you could have valid grounds to instruct them to represent your pavement trip claim.
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What Are The Causes Of Pavement Accident Claims?
As we’ve explained above, you might be entitled to claim for falling on a pavement if it can be proven that your accident and injuries were caused by a breach of duty by another party. If this isn’t proven, you won’t be able to claim compensation.
Examples of how a trip or fall on a pavement could occur include:
- There was a failure to repair a pavement defect promptly after a regular inspection such as a pothole, raised tree roots, missing kerbstones, a broken pavement, or raised paving slabs. You tripped on the hazard and you suffered a broken wrist and elbow as a result.
- You slipped in after there was a failure to grit the pavement in icy conditions. As a result, you sustained a serious back injury.
- There was a failure to cordon off the area of the pavement where utility work was being carried out. As a result, you tripped over a hole left by a missing manhole cover causing you to suffer a broken ankle and torn Achilles tendon.
- Accidents can also be caused by a combination of potholes and defective pavements. If you’ve tripped and fallen on a pothole, you could also claim compensation.
If you’d like advice on how to make a public liability compensation claim for a pavement injury, please call one of our specialist advisors to discuss your case.
Claim Compensation With JF Law's No Win No Fee Solicitors
Having a solicitor help you claim for falling on pavement can make the process of claiming compensation easier. If your case is valid and taken on by one of our pavement accident claims solicitors, they can provide the following services:
- Gather all of your evidence,
- Send correspondence to the defendant on your behalf.
- Answer any questions you have throughout the claims process, such as “How much compensation for tripping on pavement could I claim?”.
- Send you regular case updates.
- Ensure the compensation is accurately and fairly valued.
- Explain any legal jargon.
- Sort out your legal representation if the case goes to court.
- Ensure the claims time limits are adhered to.
Additionally, they’ll work with you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee agreement.
Under the terms of a CFA, you can expect the following:
- You won’t pay for your solicitor’s services upfront, for their work while they process the claim, or for their work if the claim fails.
- You will pay a success fee from your compensation if the claim is won. This is taken as a legally capped percentage.
To see if one of our solicitors could help you claim for falling on pavement under No Win No Fee terms, you can use the following contact details:
- Call our team on 0151 375 9916.
- Use our Contact Us form to get in touch.
- Chat live with one of our online advisors.
Read More About How To Make A Personal Injury Claim
Finally, we’ve also linked to some resources we think you may find useful:
- A safety policy for pedestrians from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
- NHS advice on when to call 999.
- A government page on how to report a pothole to your local authority.
For more advice on how to claim for falling on a pavement, please speak to one of our friendly specialists.
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