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Accidents in Public Places

If you or a member of your family is suffering from a personal injury caused by an accident in a public place, our specialist personal injury lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. Contact us today on 0800 032 8511 for expert accident claim advice, or by completing a claim enquiry form.

Injuries in Public Places
What to do in the Event of an Accident
Making a Claim for an Accident in a Public Place
Compensation
Our Personal Injury Lawyers

Successful Claims and Testimonials from our Personal Injury Clients

Injuries in Public Places

Injuries in public places can occur under a variety of circumstances.  Our lawyers are specialists in all types of public liability claims, for example:

Accidents at School
Accidents on Defective Pavements
Amusement Park Accident Compensation

Bacterial / Food Poisoning Claim Advice
Compensation Claims for Slips, Trips and Falls
Escalator and Lift Accident Compensation Claims
Personal Injury Solicitors for Accidents on Public and Private Property
Public Liability Claims

A claim for an accident that occurs on property open to the public is known as a public liability claim. If you have a slip, trip or fall on a public road, plaza, square or pavement, steps or staircase, or in a building such as a shop, bank or leisure centre you may be entitled to claim compensation.

This would also apply for any type of accident caused by public property left in a dangerous condition, for example injuries caused by sharp protruding objects or materials and debris left by workmen.  It may even be fallen branches from trees that hang over the public highway, unlighted skips or parked vehicles left in a dangerous position at the roadside.

The claim would be made against the person or organisation responsible for the property. They should have public liability insurance to cover such incidents.

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What to Do in the Event of an Accident

If you are unfortunate enough to suffer an injury in an accident, it is helpful to your claim if you can take certain information. Witness details and photographs are particularly useful. Also keep details of any treatment you required and receipts for expenses related to your injury, as you may be able to reclaim these costs later.

For accidents inside a building, such as a supermarket or restaurant, try to ensure that the staff are informed and the incident recorded in any accident book.

It is always important to seek medical attention if you are suffering from an injury.

For further guidance on steps to take following an accident in a public place, see our accident checklist information page.

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Making a Claim for an Accident in a Public Place

Most importantly, if you are considering making a personal injury claim for an accident in a public place, you should seek specialist legal advice from a reputable, experienced, personal injury lawyer.

In every case, medical evidence will be required. Detailed expert evidence is often also required in disease cases to show that the condition suffered by a claimant was caused by exposure to a particular substance.

In any personal injury claim it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (were negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence. 

For example, if you suffered a fall on a pavement caused by a hole or raised paving stone that should have been noticed and repaired, it is possible that the local authority could be found at fault.  Similarly, if you slipped due to a spillage on the floor of a supermarket that should have been cleaned away, you may be able to hold them responsible.  If however your accident was purely that, and no-one was to blame, it would not be possible to claim compensation.

Your lawyer can collate all of the evidence and advise on the best way to pursue a public liability claim on your behalf.  It always assists the lawyers in proving the case to have a photograph taken at the time of the accident, or shortly afterwards, to show the hazard which caused the injury.

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Compensation

If your claim is successful, and The Legal Line's solicitors will work hard to ensure that this is the case, you will be entitled to two elements of a compensation award.

The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages and can include an award for your inability to do things after the accident that you used to be able to do before (eg wash your car, look after your garden, walk the dog etc). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after an accident or for ever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident, so that these can be reclaimed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred

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Our Personal Injury Lawyers

The Legal Line lawyers are experts in the field of personal injury and have helped many people to recover compensation for injuries sustained through accidents in public places, including the following case reported in our news section:

Pub Doorman Causes Customer Personal Injury

Newspaper vendor secures damages after dustcart accident

Compensation Victory After Tripping Accident

Damages Awarded for Injury Caused by Defective Drain Cover

£10,000 Damages for Slipping Accident at Train Station

Successful Compensation Claim for Accident in Supermarket

Injured Woman Receives Compensation for Slipping Accident
Vulnerable Pedestrian Awarded Compensation for Tripping Accident
Successful Injury Claim for Trip on Manhole Cover

They can assist you at every stage of your claim and provide essential injury claim advice and guidance.

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Successful Claims and Testimonials From Our Personal Injury Clients

Below you will find details of successful cases and testimonials from clients that have received personal injury compensation with help from our solicitors:

• Newspaper vendor Ms Beryl Connor:
  
  A newspaper vendor won compensation after a road sweeping lorry ploughed into her Evening Standard kiosk outside Lancaster Gate Underground station in London. Ms Beryl Connor, 45, was awarded £8,000 in an out of court settlement following the accident which happened on the 15th of August 2005, with the help of our lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors. Liability was accepted by the Veolia Environmental Services, contracted to work for Westminster City Council, after the driver of the vehicle negligently ran his lorry into the kiosk, causing it to close up and trap Ms Connor inside.
  
  As well as suffering injuries to her head, neck, back and arm, Miss Connor suffered with headaches and post traumatic stress disorder of moderate severity. Angered by the company’s initial denial of liability, Ms Connor appointed personal injury specialists, Thompsons Solicitors, to help fight her case.

  “The accident was bad and I was pretty shaken by the whole experience,” said Ms Connor. “I suffered a lot of pain and headaches. My neck was in a brace and it made my life very difficult and stressful.

  “What incensed me, following the accident, was the attitude of the company involved. Despite knowing what had happened, the lorry driver was immediately back in place and they simply would not accept responsibility for what had happened. This is one of the reasons I decided to take action with the assistance of Thompsons Solicitors. It wasn’t about the financial compensation, it was about getting justice.

  “I’d become aware of the reputation of Thompsons Solicitors through a previous job and decided that I wanted them to represent me as they look after working people.

  “I’m glad I did because they helped me to make the company sit up and take notice, instead of burying its head in the ground. As a lay person, I don’t know my way around the legal system, but Thompsons were top class and no-nonsense. They kept me informed, and most importantly I didn’t need to worry about the process otherwise I might’ve been a nervous wreck.

  “Having experienced their service, I would recommend them highly to other people and they would be my first port of call if I were ever in a similar situation in the future.”

• Toddler injured by falling display board in a DIY store:
  
  During a visit to a store catering for the DIY market, our client was injured while walking around the store with his father. Our client’s father was alerted when our young client cried out. He turned and saw a large heavy display board had fallen onto his son, which was found to have caused a fracture to his leg. His father had to use both hands to remove the board, an indication of the weight that had fallen on our client. The store manager arrived to assist and removed the board.

  In this public liability claim, our client was injured in a public place, and the defendant eventually admitted liability They had failed to secure the board or to carry out sufficient maintenance inspections to ensure the safety of the public in the store.

  Normally attending nursery, our client was severely restricted in his mobility due to the plaster. He was unable to attend or socialise with the other children, though his parents tried to take him several times a week for short visits. His parents had to juggle their work commitments to provide round-the-clock care to ensure their son was kept happy and did not become frustrated by his immobility.

  In this personal injury claim, our solicitors were able to negotiate a settlement of £10,000 in accident compensation for his injuries, which will be held in court until he reaches 18 years of age.

• Pothole in Road Causes Employee Injury: A day centre officer for a city social services, our client was injured at work whilst carrying out routine duties outside of her work base. Her duties included taking service users from one centre to another in wheelchairs and, on the day of the incident, she was pushing a wheelchair containing a service user across a road, returning to the centre. Without warning, one of the front wheels dropped into a hole in the road some 3 inches deep. This tipped the chair and she had difficulty controlling it, trying to keep the occupant from spilling out. Fortunately he was wearing a seat belt but was propelled forward some distance, adding to the strain on our client.
  
  Her immediate reaction was to reach forward over the back of the chair to try to stop him falling out with one hand, whilst trying to steady it with the other. She was concerned that traffic would appear but managed eventually to free the wheel and proceed to the other side. When she had chance to recover from the shock she became aware of pain in her shoulder. At the time of the accident she was with a colleague, who was also pushing a wheelchair, and between them they were able to return the service users to the centre. Our client completed accident forms, and reported the defect to the Highways Department, but was never advised if the repair had been carried out.
  
  Although she returned to work the following day, she was in such pain as a result of this injury at work that she was sent home. A few days later the pain was so intense, she was taken to the local hospital where she was told she had suffered a sprain. Medical evidence suggested that she would be left with permanent symptoms restricting her ability to reach and stretch causing difficulty with household chores.
  
  Off work for two weeks, she returned to light duties and was unable to do any lifting. However, over a year later she was still suffering from the symptoms of this accident, and was referred for physiotherapy where exercises were provided. Unfortunately, our client’s husband became ill during this time and our client has been unable to focus on her own recovery.
  
  Initially the defendants did not accept liability in this injury claim so proceedings were issued. However, negotiations were eventually successful and our personal injury lawyers, who specialise in accident compensation claims, were able to secure £10,000 in compensation for this avoidable accident.
  

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