A slip, trip or fall can happen almost anywhere if there is a wet/slippery surface, uneven flooring or if there are any obstructions on the floor surface. Some of the main reasons that slip, trip or fall accidents occur include the following:
Slip trips or falls on uneven roads and pavements are usually the responsibility of the Local Council as it is their duty to maintain roads and pavements
Shops have the responsibility to ensure that their floors are keep free from any spillage or obstructions which could cause a slip or trip.
Sports centres also have to ensure that customers are safe and free from any spills and hazardous objects.
Public and private places, which include homes are the responsibility of the occupier which means they have a duty to ensure that any visitors are safe.
Work places also have the duty to ensure they maintain heath and safety so their workings are free from any slip trips or falls.
Slip, trip or fall accidents can often seem insignificant when in fact they are often the cause of many serious injuries such as broken and fractured bones, back problems, dislocated shoulders or knees as well as head injury. Any of these could result in you being out of work and losing part of your independence. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a slip, trip or fall then it is important that you visit your doctors as soon as you can so that your injuries are documented and you have proof that your injuries are linked to your slip, trip or fall. Also if your slip, trip or fall was caused by a defect that should have been present then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
When we are involved in slip, trip or fall accident, sadly our natural instinct is to move away from the scene as quickly as we can when in fact what we should be doing is staying at the scene to gather some basic evidence such as taking photographs, writing down names and contact details of witnesses. Also if the accident happened in the workplace or in a public place you must report the accident to the manager so that it gets placed in the accident book.
Sadly many people have abused the idea of claiming for compensation after a slip, trip or fall accident meaning that councils in particular couldn’t cope with the amount of people who were attempting to claim for compensation after slip, trip or fall accidents; however in recent times strict guidelines have now been introduced to stop fake compensation claims from being processed. These guidelines, for example are if you do trip over a broken paving slab the council may not be liable if the lip of the crack is under a certain height. Also if the slab was only broken within a specific time period such as the previous 48 hours and you tripped on it, the council could not be expected to have known.
If you have suffered a slip, trip or fall that should have been avoided then it is important that you speak to a professional lawyer/solicitor about whether or not you are able to put a claim in for compensation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Helen is the web master of
Accident Consult, specialists in all aspects of
Slip, Trip and Fall Accident Claims.
