Trip Injury Compensation Claims

Trip injury compensation claims guide

Trip injury compensation claims guide

By Danielle Newton. Last updated 5th May. This article may help if you’ve suffered a trip injury in an accident that should have been prevented. While trips can look quite minor, they can cause serious injuries. Some might take a few weeks to heal while others can lead to permanent disabilities. In many areas of everyday life, we are owed some sort of duty of care that prevents us from being injured due to preventable hazards. Whether you’ve had an accident at work or an accident in a public place such as a shop, we’ll provide information on how to claim. Also, we’ll provide example scenarios that could lead to a claim and potential compensation amounts too.

Our team of specialist advisors is here to help if you do decide to take action. They’ll explain your options and give free legal advice during a no-obligation review of your case. You could be partnered with a personal injury solicitor from our panel if the case is strong enough. You’ll benefit from their legal skills on a No Win No Fee basis if your claim is accepted.

To claim compensation for your injuries call us on 0800 408 7825. If you’d prefer to learn more about claiming for trip injuries first, please read on.

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What Is A Trip Injury?

A trip injury claim is a type of personal injury claim. To be eligible to claim, you’ll need to show that you were owed a duty of care that was breached and you suffered harm as a result. This is negligence.

Some of the most common injuries sustained during a slip, trip or fall include:

A personal injury solicitor from our panel could help regardless of the type of accident you’ve sustained. Later on, we’ll provide example compensation amounts for some of the injuries listed.

Time Limits For Claiming Trip Compensation

You typically have three years from the date of the accident to start your personal injury claim for trip compensation. However, certain exceptions can be made to the time limit.

This includes when claims are being made on behalf of:

  • Those who lack the mental capacity to start a claim themself. For these claimants, the limitation period is indefinitely suspended. However, during this time, a litigation friend could be appointed to start a claim for them. Should the injured party regain this capacity, they will have three years from that date to start a claim for trip and fall compensation if one has not already been made.
  • Those under the age of 18. For these injured parties, the time limit is paused until their 18th Prior to this, a litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. However, once they reach their 18th birthday, they will have three years to start their claim, if a litigation friend has not acted on their behalf.

Call our advisors to learn more about how long you have to make a personal injury claim for slip and fall compensation amounts.

Trip Injuries In The Workplace

Workplaces should be assessed regularly for risks and any dangers that are identified should be removed or reduced. It’s probably fair to say that no workplace will be completely risk-free. However, your employer should do all they can to prevent you from sustaining a trip injury whilst working.

They could try to do this by:

  • Providing anti-slip footwear when working in wet or slippery areas.
  • Ensuring the workplace is cleaned regularly to remove trip hazards.
  • Training staff on health and safety procedures.
  • Installing safety handles in high-risk areas.

You shouldn’t be concerned about claiming against your employer following a trip injury. By law, you cannot be singled out, treated differently, demoted or sacked for seeking damages in an honest claim.

If you’ve suffered a trip injury at work, why not call for free advice. If your employer’s negligence led to the accident, we could help you begin a workplace accident claim.

Trip Injuries In A Public Place

If you suffer a trip injury in a public place caused by another party’s negligence, it might not be clear what to do next. However, to make a successful claim, it will be necessary to identify who was responsible. Depending on where your accident occurred, you could claim against:

  • The local authority if you tripped on a public highway.
  • A business if you tripped on their premises.
  • Supermarket operators if you tripped whilst shopping.
  • Landowners or occupiers.

Public places mean somewhere you are allowed to use or pass through without seeking the owner’s permission first.

Who Could Be At Fault?

Let’s look at some scenarios that could entitle you to claim for a trip injury. Some examples include:

  • If you tripped over cables trailed across your office floor.
  • Where you’ve slipped on a recently cleaned floor where warning signs weren’t used.
  • If you trip over a raised paving slab, pothole or missing kerbstone in the street.
  • Where you trip because a hazard was not visible due to poor lighting.
  • If you are injured after tripping on a torn or frayed carpet or rug.
  • Where you sustain a trip injury whilst playing sport on an unsafe pitch.

Once again, you must be able to show how those that have a responsibility to keep you as safe as can be reasonably expected failed to put in the correct procedures in order to have a valid claim. 

What Evidence Do I Need To Support My Claim?

When claiming compensation for a trip injury, you will need to explain how your accident happened. This needs to be backed up by evidence. Therefore, if you do trip and injure yourself, you should:

  • Report the accident. By doing so, you should be given a copy of an accident report form. This could help to prove that the accident actually happened.
  • Seek medical treatment. It’s important to have your injuries assessed by medical professionals. Therefore, if you don’t go by ambulance, you should visit A&E (or a minor injuries unit) yourself. Copies of x-rays and medical notes could explain the extent of your injuries.
  • Take photographs or videos. Using your phone to capture the scene of the accident is important. It’s preferable to do so before any items are removed from the scene.
  • Keep a record of any spending. As you may be able to recover any costs caused by your injuries, you should retain any relevant receipts.
  • Get details from any witnesses. A witness statement may be useful if liability for your accident is denied by the defendant. Therefore, ask anybody else who saw what happened for their details. Your solicitor may need to get in touch with them at a later date.
  • Obtain any camera footage. If your trip injury was captured on CCTV, ask to be sent a copy of any footage. Act quickly here, though, as some systems delete recordings regularly.

We are happy to take a look at any evidence you’ve collected during your free consultation. Therefore, why not call today and let us know what evidence you have?

Trip Injury Compensation Calculator

In this section, we have provided a compensation table to show what amounts could be awarded for an injury in a personal injury claim. The figures provided are based on those in the Judicial College guidelines. This is a resource used by lawyers and insures when settling claims.

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Type of Injury Severity Bracket Settlement Range Additional Information
Foot Injury (e) Serious £23,460 to £36,790 Includes injuries that needed prolonged treatment or fusion surgery and increased the risk of arthritis.
Leg Injury (c)(i) Less serious £16,860 to £26,050 Covers leg fractures where an incomplete recovery occurs.
Back Injury (b)(ii) Moderate £7,890 Includes back injuries that result in backache, prolapsed discs or soft tissue injuries. The amount of pain and how severe the injury was will be used to determine the settlement amount.
Shoulder Injury (b) Serious £11,980 to £18,020 An example in this category is a rotator cuff injury that results in persisting symptoms even after surgery.
Arm Injury (d) Fractures £6,190 to £18,020 Covers simple forearm fractures.
Head Injury (e) Minor £2,070 to £11,980 Compensation is based on the extent of the initial injury and how long it took to recover. If any brain damage was suffered it will have been minimal.
Pelvis Injury (c)(i) Lesser Injuries £3,710 to £11,820 Injuries in this category may have been significantly painful initially but there won’t be any long-term disability.
Elbow Injury (c) Moderate to Minor Up to £12,590 Includes injuries such as a simple fracture of the elbow and lacerations.
Neck Injury (c)(i) Minor £4,350 to £7,890 Any neck injury (such as soft tissue damage) where recovery is complete in around one to two years and surgery isn’t required.

You could be invited to a medical assessment for your personal injury claim. If your case is taken on, your solicitor will try to book you in for a local appointment. It will be conducted by an independent medical specialist. During the meeting, your injuries will be reviewed and your medical records will be read. You’ll also discuss the impact of your injuries with the specialist as well. They will send a copy of their report to your solicitor and the defendant.

Special Damages

As well as claiming for physical suffering, you could claim back any expenses linked to your injuries too. For example, you may need to claim back any:

  • Travel costs.
  • Medical expenses.
  • Lost earnings.
  • Care costs.
  • Costs linked to replacing personal property (like clothing) that was damaged during the accident.

Start Your No Win No Fee Trip Injury Claim Today

If you have a valid trip injury claim, a personal injury solicitor from our panel could help you to take action. They’ll provide a No Win No Fee service if your claim is accepted to give you extra peace of mind. The service will be funded by a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). You’ll be sent a copy to show when the solicitor’s fees are payable.

If your claim is won, they’ll deduct up to 25% of your compensation as a success fee. However, if the claim fails, you won’t have to pay for their work. To see if you are eligible to claim, you can:

  • Call us on 0800 408 7825 to speak with an advisor.
  • Ask for advice online using live chat.
  • Use our contact page to begin the claims process.

Need More Help?

Multiple Injury Claims – This article explains how the claims process works if you’ve sustained more than one injury.

Public Liability Claims – Advice on claiming against a company’s public liability insurance policy.

Cycling Accidents – Details of what to do if you’re injured in an accident whilst riding your bike.

Preventing Falls At Home – Advice from RoSPA on steps you can take to reduce falls in the home.

When To Go To A&E – A guide on when to use accident and emergency departments from the NHS.

Slip-Resistant Footwear – Advice for employers from the HSE.

Thanks for reading our guide on claiming because you’ve suffered a trip injury. If you require more information, please use live chat to contact us.