Slips and Trips

Tripped or slipped causing yourself injury - minor or even serious injuries? This a very common type of accident. Slips and trips occur on for example, a wet floor in supermarket, fruit on floor of shop or supermarket, uneven paving, and loose pavement.

You can bring a claim against the person or party responsible for maintaining the surface in question which, if it is a public footway such a pavement or path, or a public road, will be the local Highway Authority. Tripping or slipping claims against the local Highway Authority are common but potentially difficult claims to pursue. This is because the Law recognises that Authorities have insufficient resources to maintain their highways so that they are defect free. The Law therefore provides Authorities with a defence to personal injury claims if they can show that they have taken all reasonable steps to maintain their highways by, for example, the carrying out of regular inspections and repairs.

The courts have also developed a general rule of thumb which provides that if the hazard in question, for example a hole in the ground or raised paving stone, is less than 1 inch in depth or height then this is unlikely to be hazardous enough for a claim to succeed. This is, however, a "rough and ready" rule and does not mean that claims cannot be pursued for injuries caused by smaller defects.

Other examples of tripping and slipping cases include accidents in premises, for example, in supermarkets or shops or when visiting other private or public property. In these cases, the owner/occupiers are legally responsible for your safety whilst you are on their premises. You can therefore bring a claim for compensation if you have suffered injury as a result of their failure to take reasonable steps for your safety.

Examples of accidents suffered by our clients include:-

Slipping on fruit in a supermarket
Slipping on a wet floor or entranceway in a shop
Tripping on a raised paving slab