How Can I Claim If I've Slipped On A Wet Floor In A Public Place?
Get in touch for free advice and to learn if you could claim compensation with expert legal guidance under a No Win No Fee agreement.
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How Can I Claim If I've Slipped On A Wet Floor In A Public Place?
Get in touch for free advice and to learn if you could claim compensation with expert legal guidance under a No Win No Fee agreement.
How Can I Claim If I’ve Slipped On A Wet Floor In Public?
You may be asking the question ‘Can I claim if I’ve slipped on a wet floor in public?’. If so, this guide will help. It explains the steps you can take to seek compensation after an accident in a public place caused you to suffer an injury due to a third party breaching their duty of care.
Our guide will start by explaining the eligibility criteria that need to be met in order for you to have a valid public place injury claim after a wet floor accident and what duty of care is owed with regard to your health and safety in public.
After this, we explain the evidence you can gather to strengthen your case and the time limits that must be adhered to for personal injury claims. We also look at how public liability claim payouts could be calculated for successful slip and fall claims.
Finally, we explore the benefits of having a personal injury solicitor handle your claim under a No Win No Fee contract, such as being able to avoid upfront or ongoing fees.
For more information and free advice, you can get in touch with our helpful team of advisors via the contact details below:
- Call on 0151 375 9916.
- Contact us online about wet floor accident claims.
- Use the live chat feature at the bottom of this page.
Can I Claim If I've Slipped On A Wet Floor In Public?
Those in control of a public space, also known as occupiers, owe a duty of care to members of the public. This is outlined in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 which states that steps should be taken to ensure the reasonable safety of visitors who use the space for its intended purpose.
For example, if there is a spillage on the floor causing a potential slip or fall hazard and the party in control of the space is aware of the issue, they should take steps to reduce the risk of injury posed by the hazard. This can include cleaning up the spill or if the spill cannot be cleaned up straight away, displaying clear warning signs to alert the public to the hazard and prevent wet floor accidents.
Failure to do so could lead to different injuries, including head injuries, a broken leg injury, soft tissue injury, and back injury.
You could have an eligible personal injury claim after slipping on a wet floor if you can show:
- The occupier owed you a duty of care.
- A breach of this duty occurred.
- You suffered a physical and/or psychological injury as a result of the breach.
Together, these three points define negligence in tort law. You must have evidence of negligence in order to have valid grounds to pursue compensation.
Evidence That Could Help In Slip And Fall Claims
To build a strong public place injury claim, you will need evidence that shows a third party breached their care duty and caused you to suffer an injury. Evidence can also help with showing how severe an injury is and the extent to which it has affected your quality of life.
Below, you can find some examples of the evidence you could collect:
- CCTV footage of the slip or fall in a public place.
- Photos of the visible injuries you suffered and the accident scene, such of any wet floors that caused the accident.
- Medical records from your GP, a specialist medical professional, or hospital. This can be copies of X-rays, scans and reports, as well as proof of prescription medication needed.
- A personal diary that details key medical treatment and the impact of your injuries on your physical health as well as any mental harm.
- Contact details from eyewitnesses. At a later date, a supporting statement can be collected from anyone who saw what happened.
- A copy of the on-site accident book that may be on the premises.
You may also wish to instruct a solicitor to handle your claim if you’ve slipped on a wet floor in public. The first step to doing this is to speak to our team by calling the number above. They can assess your wet floor injury claim in a short phone call. If you’re eligible, they can connect you with one of our solicitors to help you claim compensation.
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How Long Do I Have To Claim For Injuries Caused By Slipping On A Wet Floor?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, there is a standard time limit of three years in which to start a personal injury claim. This time frame usually starts from the date of the accident. However, in some cases, an exception to the limitation period applies.
For example, if the claimant was under 18 at the time of accident, the time limit is paused and a litigation friend may be appointed by the courts to claim on their behalf. If no claim is brought forward for the claimant, the minor can do so themselves after they turn 18. They will have three years to do so from their 18th birthday.
Likewise, claimants who lack the mental capacity to initiate a claim independently can also have a litigation friend appointed and the time limit is frozen entirely. Should capacity return and no claim has been made for them, the three-year time frame starts from the date their capacity was recovered.
For further guidance on the time limits for personal injury claims, call our team. They can also provide further guidance on the question ‘Can I claim if I’ve slipped on a wet floor in public?’.
How Much Compensation Could I Receive If I've Slipped On A Wet Floor In Public?
If your public liability claim for slipping on a wet floor is successful, you could receive compensation for the different ways your injuries have affected you. Compensation payouts can include up to two heads of loss called general damages and special damages.
Firstly, general damages compensate you for the physical pain and psychological suffering caused by your wet floor accident. Factors, such as the length of recovery and the impact on your overall quality of life can be considered when valuing how much compensation you’re owed under this head of loss.
To calculate general damages, those tasked with valuing general damages can use different resources. This can include a medical report produce by an independent medical expert from an assessment that you may need to attend as part of the claims process. If you instruct a public liability lawyer to represent you, they can arrange this as part of the services they offer.
Alongside the medical report, reference can also be made to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document provides a list of guideline award brackets for different types of injuries based on severity.
Compensation Table
The table below contains figures from the JCG, with the exception of the first entry. You should use these figures as a guide only as all claims are unique.
| Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Brackets | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious injuries and Financial Losses | Serious | Up to £400,000+ | Compensation for the pain and suffering of multiple serious injuries and the financial losses they created such as care costs, lost wages, and medical bills. |
| Head/Brain Injury | (c) Moderate (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | A moderate to severe deficit of intellect, personality change, effect on senses and no employment prospects. |
| (c) Moderate (ii) | £110,720 to £183,190 | Cases of moderate to modest deficit to intellect and where the capacity to work is either reduced or removed completely. | |
| Leg | (b) Severe (iii) | £47,840 to £66,920 | Comminuted and compound fractures or injuries to the joints or ligaments of a serious nature causing instability, prolonged treatment and other issues. |
| Pelvis | (a) Severe (iii) | £47,810 to £64,070 | This bracket includes a fracture that results in a hip replacement which is only partially successful meaning there is a clear risk for revision surgery in the future. |
| Arm | (b) Resulting in permanent and substantial disablement | £47,810 to £73,050 | Serious cases of fractures to one or both forearms leaving a significant residual level of disability that is permanent. |
| Back | (a) Severe (iii) | £47,320 to £85,100 | Disc lesions or fractured discs and soft tissue injuries causing chronic conditions. |
| (b) Moderate (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 | Injuries such as ligament and muscle disturbance causing backache. | |
| Ankle | (b) Severe | £38,210 to £61,090 | This bracket covers injuries where a prolonged period in plaster was needed and/or surgical pins had to be inserted. |
Special Damages In Slip, Trip And Fall Claims
The second head of loss that can make up your compensation award is special damages. This compensates you for the financial harm caused by the accident and injury. To have special damages included, you will need documented proof of financial loss and associated expenses.
Below, we’ve listed some losses you could claim back and the evidence you would need:
- Invoices showing any domestic care costs.
- Payslips that show a current and future lost earnings because of time off work needed.
- Receipts and prescriptions showing any medical costs.
- Travel tickets showing any travel costs.
For further guidance on how much compensation you could potentially receive following a successful claim if you’ve slipped on a wet floor in public, call an advisor. They can offer a free valuation of your potential claim.
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Make A No Win No Fee Claim If You've Slipped On A Wet Floor In Public
If our advisors find that you have an eligible claim for slipping on a wet floor surface in a public place, they could connect you to one of our skilled personal injury solicitors. Our solicitors could take up your case through a type of No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This type of contract provides numerous advantages to the claimant.
For example, under a CFA there is no requirement to pay an initial fee to the solicitor for them to start work on your case. Nor are any fees for services expected as the solicitor works on your case. If your case fails, the solicitor asks for no fees for completed work at all.
Following a claim that has a successful outcome, a small and legally restricted percentage is taken from your compensation and goes to the solicitor as a success fee. Due to the legal cap, you should receive the majority of your compensation payout.
Our solicitors are experts in public liability claims, so why not take the first step of seeing if they could help you. You can get in touch with our team today and see if you could be connected to a No Win No Fee solicitor and begin claiming compensation.
To reach out you can:
- Call 0151 375 9916.
- Contact us online.
- Use the live chat function below.
More Resources On Public Liability Claims
For more of our helpful guides:
- Read about public liability claims in this guide, including how much compensation you could get for your injuries.
- This guide explores when claims against the council could be possible following an accident in a public place.
- If you suffered an injury after falling on a pavement, read about your rights to claim compensation.
Lastly, some external pages which you may find helpful.
- Information on where to complain about your council after an accident from Gov.UK
- Information if you need to claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from Gov.UK
- Guidance on falls and what you should do if you injure yourself from the NHS.
We hope this guide has helped answer the question ‘Can I claim if I’ve slipped on a wet floor in public?’. Our team are happy to answer any other questions you may have if you call the number above.
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