Slip and Trip Claims

A slip or trip can occur anywhere; on the street due to defects in the pavement, in shops or supermarkets due to wet floors or in the workplace due to loose carpeting or exposed wires. The personal injury solicitors at JMW handle many slip and trip claims every year. We have your best interests at heart and will work hard to get you the compensation you’re entitled to.

If you’ve had a slip, trip or fall in the last three years that was a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. To find out if you’re eligible to make a claim, simply call our expert solicitors on 0345 872 6666 or fill in our online form and we will get back to you.

How JMW Can Help

It’s reasonable to expect that any place you enter will be free of slipping and tripping hazards. Organisations must have policies in place to reduce the risk of slips and trips to employees working on their premises, while companies experiencing regular visits from the public, such as shops, restaurants and bars, must legally follow health and safety guidelines to prevent customers suffering a slip or trip while on the premises. Likewise, local councils are obliged to take adequate precautions to ensure that pavements and roads in their area are free of tripping hazards.

If these procedures are not followed and an accident occurs as a result of someone else’s negligence, the injured party is entitled to make a claim. JMW’s personal injury law experts are here to help make compensation claims for accidents that have occurred due to trips, slips or falls.

Our solicitors have successfully claimed slip and trip compensation from various organisations and local authorities from across the country, placing us as an ideal law firm to handle your case. We know exactly what it takes to be successful with these types of claims and part of this is creating a close working relationship with you.

Once your claim begins, you will receive honest, straightforward advice from us and regular updates to help you to understand how your case is progressing. We work on a no win, no fee basis, which means you are protected from all legal costs if your case is not successful.

Meet Our Team

Our personal injury team at JMW is made up of dedicated and experienced professionals, here to offer compassionate support and expert guidance to help you through your slip and trip claim.

Case Study

How Do Slip and Trip Accidents Happen?

Slips, trips and falls frequently occur due to inadequate maintenance, repair and safety measures taken by businesses, property owners or local authorities. Common factors that contribute to these incidents in public spaces include:

• Damp or icy surfaces
• Irregular flooring or staircases
• Faulty pavements and kerbs
• Unexpected obstructions
• Insufficient lighting

Slip and Trip Accidents in Supermarkets

Slip and trip accidents occur in supermarkets because of the various hazards that lead to a customer or employer hurting themselves. Accidents of this type can include:

• Slipping on a wet floor
• Falling over boxes, equipment left in the aisle or other obstacles
• Slipping on food or packets
• Tripping on damaged flooring

It is the supermarket’s responsibility to keep customers and workers safe by minimising the risk of an accident taking place. If you have been injured in a supermarket due to their failure to manage the risk of injury to you, you may be entitled to compensation and should speak to a solicitor as soon as possible.

Slip and Trip Accidents at Work

Employers failing to adhere to essential health and safety guidelines, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, jeopardise the wellbeing of you and your colleagues. If you've suffered an injury like a slip, trip or fall due to your employer's neglect, you have the right to seek compensation.

We recognise that you might have reservations about the repercussions of making a claim against your employer, fearing job loss or discriminatory treatment. These concerns are both common and understandable.

However, rest assured that UK employment legislation is indisputable on this matter and offers robust protections for employees. It's unlawful for your employer to terminate your employment or to treat you differently for pursuing a claim for compensation. 

You might also worry that filing a claim could financially strain your employer, potentially impacting the very business that provides your income. Fortunately, there's no cause for concern on this front. When a claim for a slip, trip and fall is made against an employer, it's their insurance company that covers the compensation cost. Employers are legally required to have employers' liability insurance to deal with such claims. 

Slip and Trip Accidents in Public Places

Public places are areas intended for use by the general public, such as parks, pubs and restaurants, gyms and car parks. There are a range of reasons why accidents may take place in these spaces, more so if they are busy, but it is the owner’s or local council’s responsibility to prevent these from happening.

If you have suffered an accident in a place open to the public, you can make a claim for compensation against the occupier’s public liability insurance.

Manhole Cover Accidents

The most common reason for accidents involving manhole covers is poor working practices from councils and utility companies. Other ways in which you could be injured by a manhole include:

• Rotten or poorly maintained covers
• Improperly placed covers
• Unsuitable cover surfaces
• Raised service covers
• Unmarked or open covers
• Explosions causing manholes to open

Motorists, cyclists, construction workers, and pedestrians could all be victims of an inadequately covered manhole. Where significant holes are left in the road, the proper equipment should be used to ensure it is safe for road users to pass over it. Regardless of how you have been injured by a manhole, if the accident was caused by somebody else’s negligence, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.

Who is Responsible for Maintaining Manhole Covers?

Local councils and water and electricity companies have a responsibility to ensure that manhole covers are installed appropriately so that passersby are not injured. Regular inspections of manhole covers must be carried out to check for any imperfections or defects, with any problems found being repaired or faulty covers replaced quickly and efficiently. If a fault cannot be fixed straight away, a warning sign drawing attention to the hazard must be placed nearby and the area cordoned off.

Our solicitors can help you prove that the organisations in charge of manhole cover safety did not do enough to keep members of the public safe.

Should you suffer a slip, trip or fall at work because of a manhole, your employer would likely be responsible for failing to provide a safe working environment. No matter what your industry, you should make a claim for compensation if your employer has failed to protect you. In a successful case, you will be recompensed for the time spent off work and any medical and travel expenses incurred, while the negligence of your employers will also be highlighted.

Are there time limits for slip, trip and fall compensation claims?

You generally have a three-year window from the date of your slip, trip or fall injury to initiate a claim. There's a specific legal procedure your solicitor will follow, so if you're nearing the end of that three-year period, it's imperative to contact us as soon as possible.

However, there are exceptions to these time constraints:

• If the injured party has sustained severe brain injuries affecting their mental capacity, no time limit applies. A designated litigation friend can initiate the claim on their behalf.
• A parent, guardian or another adult with legal responsibility can lodge a claim for a child until they reach 18 years of age. If no claim has been made by that point, the individual has a further three years, from their 18th to their 21st birthday, to file a claim as a legal adult.

If you want to make a claim after the usual deadlines, you must start court action within certain time limits. If you don't, you'll generally lose the chance to go ahead with your claim. This is known as being 'time-barred'. For more details, consult your solicitor.