Public Place Accidents

Accidents in public places can take a variety of forms and can cause several different injuries. Our specialist personal injury solicitors have helped clients who’ve been injured in a wide range of situations, including:

• Slipping on wet floors (where no hazard signs were present)
• Tripping over potholes/raised paving slabs
• Falling over wires (which should have been cleared)
• Being hit by falling objects
• Falling from an unstable or poorly constructed platform
• Electric shocks
• Slipping on an icy surface.

A public place is any space that the general public can access, whether on a paid or unpaid basis. It’s a common misconception that privately-owned properties aren’t public places, but this isn’t the case. The same rules apply when it comes to your safety.

Some examples of public places include:

• Shops
• Bars and restaurants
• Cinemas, theatres and music venues
• Parks
• Roads and paths
• Museums and tourist attractions
• Gyms and sports venues.

If you’ve been in an accident in a public place, please do get in touch—our lawyers could help you get the compensation you deserve.

The amount of compensation you can claim for an accident in public will depend on a range of details about your case, including:

• The injuries you sustained
• Expenses you’ve incurred
• Medical and treatment expenses
• Loss of earnings you’ve had or will have
• Your care needs, both now and in future
• Any changes you’ll need making to your home
• Any specialist aids or equipment you’ll need.

It’s difficult to value your claim without knowing these details, but once we’ve learned more about your accident during your initial consultation, we’ll be able to advise on your possible compensation.

Accidents in public places normally happen because the business, property owner or public body responsible for the premises failed in their duty to make the area reasonably safe for the public.

Organisations have a legal duty to ensure they’ve put reasonable measures in place to protect your safety. If they fail in this duty and you suffer an injury in an accident, you may be able to claim compensation. If you’re not sure which organisation was responsible for the place where your injury happened, our lawyers can help you find out.

Local authorities, for instance, are responsible for inspecting and maintaining all public highways and ensuring all roads and pavements are reasonably safe. Your claim is likely to be against the relevant local authority if your injury was caused by:

• Broken/uneven paving slabs
• Potholes
• Poor lighting, such as faulty lampposts
• Icy roads/pavements due to lack of signs or grit.

Businesses and tenants are often responsible for accidents in public places. They must take all reasonable steps to make sure that their premises are safe for visitors. What are commonly known as occupiers’ liability claims often take place:

• In a supermarket
• At a shopping centre
• At a sports centre/gym
• At a school/college
• In restaurants/cafés.

To find out more about making a claim for an accident that happened in a public place, get in touch with us for a free consultation today.

In the UK, you normally have three years from the date the accident took place to make a claim for compensation. The exceptions to the three-year time limit are:

• Children under the age of 18 years
• People without the mental capacity to make their own claim.

If your accident took place abroad, the time limit depends on the country’s laws.

You should start your claim as soon as possible after the accident. This is because the details will be clearer in your mind and in the minds of any witnesses. Evidence will also be fresher and easier for us to collect, which will strengthen your claim.

The majority of our personal injury claims are made through a no win no fee agreement. If you make a no win no fee claim, there’s no financial risk to you if it’s unsuccessful. If you’re awarded compensation, most of our fees will be paid by your opponent.

You’ll need an After the Event (ATE) insurance policy to make a no win no fee claim. This protects you from having to pay any legal fees. Your solicitor will take out ATE insurance for you before we contact your opponent.

We’ll make sure you’re fully aware of all available funding options before we start working for you.

To begin your public liability claim, contact us for a free initial consultation. During this session, you can speak to our experts about what happened, and we’ll be able to advise you on whether you could make a claim. We’ll also discuss the funding options available to you.

There’s no obligation to go any further than your initial consultation, but if you decide to pursue your claim with us, we’ll start by gathering evidence that can support it. Evidence we can use in a public liability claim includes:

• Witness statements
• CCTV footage, if available
• Independent expert witnesses.

We’ll then take your claim to the responsible party and tell them we intend to sue for compensation. If they accept that they were at fault, your claim will be settled after a full investigation into the long-term effects of your injuries.

If they accept responsibility, we’ll work to get you interim payments, which will be deducted from your final settlement amount. Interim payments can help to pay for ongoing treatment and loss of earnings while your claim is ongoing.

However, if they dispute your case or how much compensation we advise is reasonable, we’ll begin court proceedings on your behalf.

We’ll try to avoid going to court, which makes the process faster and less stressful for you. If we need to initiate proceedings, though, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Even when trial dates have been set, your claim may still be settled out of court.