Slips, trips and public liability
Slip and Fall Lawyers
Falling in a public place can lead to a range of injuries, including serious injuries. If you have suffered an injury following an accident, you deserve to find out if you can make a damages claim. Our specialist lawyers can look at your case, advice if you have a claim and act in your behalf.
“Osbornes is a well-regarded personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims.”
“Fielding a first class, very well resourced’ team of litigators, the personal injury department at Osbornes is rated for its diverse workload of complex, high-value injury claims.”
Making a slip and fall injury claim
There are countless ways in which one person’s negligence can cause another to trip, slip, fall or otherwise suffer personal injury
The main categories are:
Pedestrian highway injury claim
Local Councils owe a statutory duty to keep pavements in repair. Where they fail to do so, and the pavement becomes dangerous, they may be liable to someone who falls over a pavement defect and sustains an injury.
These cases can be difficult to win because councils often rely on the defence that they have a proper inspection and repair system. The injured person must take photographs of the defect and contact witnesses as soon as possible.
Injury claims in other public places
Shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, schools and nurseries, sporting and other events, and communal parts of residential buildings. The list is almost endless, but the point is that if a person or organisation invites another person onto his land or to his event, he owes that other person a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent him from suffering injury. This is not an absolute duty; no one is liable for a pure accident or another person’s misadventure.
Falls in the snow or ice
Whilst most rational people would accept that snow and ice present us with a slipping risk that is difficult to avoid altogether, some injuries caused by slips on snow or ice could and should have been avoided. Read more about how we can help.
Rights under Employers’ Liability Insurance
Employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees. However, they are also responsible for the health and well-being of anyone directly contacting their business premises. These people can include customers or just ordinary members of the public. For this reason, most employers are legally required to carry at least £5 million worth of Employers’ Liability insurance. The employer is liable to a stiff fine if not properly insured and may also be fined if their Employer’s Liability insurance certificate is not readily displayed or easy to access.
The insurance helps the employer meet the compensation claims cost should someone be injured at work. The coverage is applicable not just to staff but members of the public too.
Rights under Public Liability insurance
While it is not required by law, most businesses also carry Public liability insurance. This insurance is aimed at covering compensation claims from third parties. It covers injury, illness, death, and damage to property and comes into play if the injury was the business owner’s fault. An example of this third-party claim would be if a customer slips in a spillage and breaks an arm. In addition to compensation claims, legal expenses, medical fees and the cost of any repairs to personal property are also covered by Public Liability insurance.
Right to reasonable safety in a public place
A public place is anywhere the general public can access, such as libraries, restaurants, supermarkets, leisure centres, parks, and pavements. We have the right to expect to be reasonably safe in a public place. However, all sorts of injuries can and do occur, including trips, falls, and, unfortunately, assaults.
If you have suffered an injury in a public place, you may claim compensation under the Employers or Public Liability insurance. To make a successful claim, it must be shown that the accident was not your fault but rather due to the other party’s negligence. And, to prove negligence, it must be shown that the other party owed you a duty of care to your health and safety and that the duty of care was breached, resulting in your injury.
Right to an independent solicitor
If you have been injured in a public place, you have the right to ask advice from an independent solicitor to determine whether you are entitled to claim compensation. Most claims may likely be made on the employer or Public Liability insurance. However, there may also be special circumstances requiring claim pursuit from another body, such as the Council or Local Authority. In this case, there will be different claim mechanisms. A specialist personal injury lawyer will help navigate these complex areas of red tape.
In addition, you should also bear in mind that there are often time limits on claiming personal injury compensation: most court proceedings must be issued within three years from the injury, so time is of the essence.
Slip and fall accident examples
- A woman tripped over raised paving slab outside her home and fell, breaking a wrist. Council denied liability and blamed contractors. Case won at trial, and Claimant awarded £6000.
- A broken handrail in a restaurant caused an elderly lady to fall. Physical and psychological injuries accelerated the need for residential care, and the case was settled after litigation for £100,000.
- A visitor to an art exhibition slipped on mock blood from a (very modern) art exhibit and suffered a nasty wrist fracture. Case settled after proceedings for £9000.
- A young woman suffered temporary burns from wax treatment in a beauty salon. Awarded £3000 at trial.
- Our client instructed Osbornes after the escalator she was walking down at a tube station stopped suddenly, causing her to fall down several steps. As a result of the accident, she sustained a deep laceration to her leg and soft tissue injury to her left ankle. A claim was made in negligence under section 2 of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Regulation 19 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, dealing with escalators and moving walkways, was also raised.
- A City high flier’s fall down a rickety set of stairs at a wedding reception led to a personal injury claim settled out of court for £500,000. Mr A, a high flyer in the City, was injured when he fell down some rickety stairs at a hotel wedding reception carrying a wine glass. He dropped the glass, which broke and landed on it with the unfortunate consequence that the glass sliced through his eye.
What types of slip, trip and fall injuries can I claim for?
We have helped clients claim compensation for a wide range of slip, trip and fall injuries including:
Slip and Fall Claim ExamplesVIEW ALL
- 31.8.2021
Slip & Trip settlement of £10,327
Mr B, a sales executive, was injured when he tripped over a raised kerbstone on Upper Street in Islington. He...
Read more - 31.8.2021
Slip & fall damages award of £12,500.
Mrs T was a 60-year-old woman enjoying her retirement. She was carrying some bags down the street after having done...
Read more
Osbornes prepares cases well; the whole team is good and lawyers there know their stuff.
They deal with people compassionately and take on the right amount of detail. The firm has some really brilliant key solicitors.
The personal injury team is responsive and its level of service towards clients and other professionals is exceptional and high quality
The team offers specialist expertise in cycling-related injury claims and regularly acts for foreign nationals.
It has considerable experience in cases arising from motor accidents and accidents at work
Osbornes is a well-regarded personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims.
Their team includes bright, hard-working solicitors dedicated to achieving successful outcomes for their clients from partner level to paralegal. Their client care is exceptional.
They are a team who are highly respected in the PI sector.
This is an excellent PI team doing a broad range of PI work.
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims, with notable strength in acting for European clients for whom English is not a first language.
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims
Osbornes’ ‘highly respected‘ personal injury team is experienced in a range of complex, high-value claims.
"Osbornes always provides work of excellent quality and the advice is sound."
"The firm has the ability to handle the most sophisticated and complex matters."
"Osbornes is always client-focused and works tirelessly to obtain the best outcomes."
'The team deals with multi-million pound, often multifaceted claims, involving such factors as severe brain, psychiatric, gynaecological and spinal injury, major trauma, amputation and fatality.'
"They are a boutique firm with highly experienced partners who are well-respected in the industry."
"The team at Osbornes deals with catastrophic injury claims with the same professionalism as the largest firms, but provides a much more client-focused experience."
"A really first-rate team, well capable of dealing with the most serious and complex injuries."
"This team has carved out an exceptional reputation in catastrophic injury work."
"Osbornes has impressed me with their personal touch for clients whilst offering a first-class handling of catastrophic injury claims. The partners all have vast experience and are highly respected in their field."
"This is a really excellent personal injury team that can be regarded as one of the major players in the London claimant personal injury market."
"Osbornes have managed to recruit a team of outstanding catastrophic injury lawyers who are at the top of the game."
"They punch well above their weight. The quality of service they provide equals that of any of the larger top-name firms in this area"
Ben Posford is fiercely bright, with an unrivalled passion for his clients’ cases. His encyclopaedic knowledge of all things PI is second to none. His foresight and commercial nous have propelled Osbornes into the highest echelons of the market where they rightly belong.
The firm has an excellent and innovative line in cases involving non-English speaking claimants, managed by recruiting paralegals with multi-language skills – an impressive route for expansion of the caseload.
Great expanding team with expertise and respect in the sector. Led by a commercially savvy and business minded team.
A really excellent group of PI solicitors, notable for their individual quality.’
A niche firm that punches well above its weight in the catastrophic injury sector, borne out by the quality of work they obtain.
This combination of experience and diligence reaps massive rewards for clients, Osbornes being well known in the industry as a fantastic firm.
The Osbornes personal injury team now comprises some of the most technically adept and hard hitting lawyers in the business.
Ben Posford is one of London’s best catastrophic injury lawyers, in my view. He is a real brain injury specialist.
Excellent coverage of personal injury, and traumatic brain injury. There is a real specialism in claimants who do not speak English as a first language.
The group is noted for its expertise in matters relating to cycling injuries, and is the official legal partner of the London Cycling Campaign charity.
To complement its strong reputation for high-value and complex personal injury work, the firm continues to develop its 'excellent and innovative line in cases involving non-English speaking claimants'
"Osbornes comprises some of the most technically adept and hard hitting lawyers in the business"
"A small but high-powered team, dealing with cases of significant value and complexity."
"An excellent firm which achieves fantastic outcomes for clients."
"Osbornes Law have captured the magic of keeping the customer service levels of a smaller firm whilst having all the expertise and power of the biggest firms."
"A superb boutique catastrophic injury firm."
"Really good at dealing with people who have suffered a serious injury."
"Affable and charming with very good client-handling skills."
"superb firm with consummate professionals and a human touch."
Osbornes now has a team of highly experienced personal injury lawyers; particularly strong on high-value quantum cases, workplace accidents and claims involving foreign workers injured in the UK.
The team provides fantastic strength-in-depth for personal injury claims. It is also particularly well placed to service clients from Eastern Europe with specialist native language speakers. From the smallest case to a multimillion-pound spinal injury case, Osbornes has the right staff to manage every claim.
Ben Posford remains pre-eminent in his field with expert understanding of litigating cases of the upmost severity. His experience builds on Stuart Kightley’s running of the firm with recent partner additions of Rob Aylott making a fantastic addition.
A firm going from strength-to strength-which retains its client care whilst being able to offer a full personal injury service.
Beneath Ben Posford’s calm and reassuring presence, which clients love, lies a formidable tactical and legal brain. His experience tells and he gets it right at every stage of the process from arranging the best possible rehabilitation, to ensuring, so far as possible, a polite relationship with those acting for the defendant in order to ensure best and early resolution of the claim.
"Clients say he is very impressive, in terms of both his experience and his management of the personal injury team."
"They have an expanding profile in personal injury and clinical negligence and offer a superb, broad service in accidents abroad, enabled by their recruitment of bilingual legal executives who can guide non-English speakers through complex litigation."
"Solid personal injury practice well equipped to advise on high-value and high-profile claims arising from fatalities and severe head and spinal injuries."
"Offers specialist expertise in cycling-related injury claims."
"Offers specialist expertise in cauda equina syndrome cases."
"An exceptional outfit. They take on difficult cases, fight hard and win."
"Stuart Kightley is an incredibly empathetic solicitor who is very knowledgeable about traumatic brain injury."
"They are an outstanding firm to work with. They are consistently impressive in their work."
"Osbornes often handles claims valued at over £1m, particularly relating to severe brain and spinal cord injuries and niche areas such as cauda equina syndrome and cycling accidents."
"The hard-working, thorough and committed Robert Aylott, who brings significant heavyweight personal injury experience."
"Key team members include the energetic and personable Stuart Kightley who is head of the personal injury department."
"Osbornes has a growing influence and impressive work load and is gaining a reputation for handling complex catastrophic work."
"Catastrophic injury cases head Ben Posford is an excellent practical litigator who offers exceptional service."
"Stuart is also very experienced in advising on fatal accidents and workplace accidents."
Thank you for the hard work and patience and for being so patient with my constant questions.
"I have found Osbornes to be thorough, clear and understanding from the initial call. They do exactly what they say they will and with passion! I would recommend them to anyone".
Very good efficient service. Would not hesitate to use again.
I will use Osbornes for any future needs.
I don't think I could have asked for anything more. One of the best dealings I've had with the legal profession.
Sam was excellent and very professional in dealing with our claim.
Head of the personal injury department, Stuart Kightley is a first-rate practitioner, wholly focused on getting his client the best outcome in a pragmatic, sensible and consensual manner.
As a real specialist in spinal cord injuries, Ben Posford is always looking at new angles on how to maximise his cases.
Ben Posford is one of the best catastrophic injury lawyers around.
They provide exceptional service, great knowledge and understanding of the law, excellent client care and tactical nous
Stuart Kightley is praised for his expertise in catastrophic and fatal claims. Clients say he is very impressive, in terms of both his experience and his management of the personal injury team.
My claim was dealt with efficiently and professionally. Communication was excellent, and timely. Shrewd and sound advice was provided at every stage of the claim from beginning through to completion. On the basis of my personal experience I would strongly recommend Osbornes.
I just wish to thank you for your hard work and successful outcome. I am pleased with the result and would recommend you and your firm to anyone in the future.
Ben Posford … is ‘tactically astute’ and ‘one of the best personal injury solicitors around’.
Ben Posford ‘knows how to maximise the value of the claim for his clients’.
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Personal Injury SolicitorsSam Collard
Partner
Personal Injury SolicitorsSophie Davies
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Personal Injury SolicitorsLaura Swaine
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Personal Injury SolicitorsNicola Hall
Associate Solicitor
Personal Injury SolicitorsAndrew Middlehurst
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