Accidents in Public Places

There is a general duty in law to make sure that areas to which the public have access are kept reasonably safe. This means that if we can show that there has been a breach of that legal duty and you sustained injury as a result, we may be able to submit a claim on your behalf.

Typical Public Liability Cases

The situations in which this type of claim can arise are numerous, but a few examples we have dealt with are:

• Cut to the foot when a swimmer stood on a broken tile in a public pool
• Back injury to a customer slipping on residue from a bubble machine in a toy shop
• Faulty shop sign falling onto a passer-by
• Customer slipping on loose grapes on the floor in a supermarket
• Pedestrian hit by a falling branch from a tree while walking in the street
• A fairground operator starting a children’s roundabout without checking everyone was standing clear, causing injury to a grandparent
• Elderly client tripping in a large pothole in a badly lit car park
• Refuse collector suffering a severe cut to his leg when carrying a bin bag because of broken glass placed there by a householder
• Hotel guest slipping when getting out of a bath because of a loose hand rail
• Client slipping on ice outside the main entrance of a supermarket
• Shopper tripping on a loose plastic ribbon in a department store causing her to develop complex regional pain syndrome
• Man falling from a ladder landing on our client causing a fractured hip
• Client delivering leaflets through a letterbox of a private house sustained a dog bite to his fingers
• Delivery man sustained injury when he fell down an open manhole in a driveway

The best advice is to contact us as soon as you can after the accident, while it’s still fresh in your mind. We will then take a careful note of how it happened and explain the legal position.

Remember that legal cases are always much stronger if there is clear evidence available to confirm how the accident happened.

If someone saw your accident, make sure you take a note of their name and phone number. Photographs can also be very helpful in showing what happened.

If there is an accident book on the premises where your accident happened (eg in a shop or restaurant) make sure your accident is recorded in it accurately.

Once we have spoken to you we can help you to gather any evidence that might be needed to strengthen your personal injury claim. Call us now and we will see if we can help.

Pavement Tripping/Highway Claims

Local Authorities have a legal duty to maintain roads and pavements.

This means that if, for example, you sustained injury after tripping over a defective pavement or a pothole in the road, you may be entitled to make a claim against the Council as Highway Authority.

However, these cases can be quite complex. A lot depends upon the size of the defect that caused your accident, how long it had been there, the location of the defect (eg busy shopping street or quiet residential area) and whether anyone had complained about it to the Council before your accident.

The Council are required to keep inspection records showing when they last checked that particular road or pavement. If you contact us we will make sure we obtain all the relevant records to see if they assist your claim.

It’s important to make sure you instruct an experienced firm of personal injury lawyers like Marrons who are familiar with these legal issues and the tactics used by the council’s claims handlers.

Evidence Needed

Getting appropriate medical treatment is the most important thing to do immediately after an accident. But if your accident happened because of a defect in the pavement or road, the type of evidence which could assist your claim is:

• Photographs/videos to show what happened (mobile phones can be handy)
• Names and contact details of any witnesses (again stick them in your phone)
• The exact location of the accident and what the defect was
• Careful measurements of the defect, with, if possible, a photo showing the measurement (or if you don’t have a ruler, something in the photo to show the scale eg a coin, box of matches, some keys etc).

But if you have none of this information, don’t give up. We may still be able to help. There are many CCTV cameras around nowadays and a little detective work by our retired police officer can often locate useful information.

What Should I Do Now?

At Marrons we have an experienced team of expert solicitors who have successfully obtained compensation for people like you who have had the misfortune to have an accident in a public place.

We represent clients wherever they may be and are known for our professional and friendly service.

We are always happy to have an informal discussion with you about what happened so please do call or email us and we will do what we can to help.