Getting injured is never a pleasant experience, particularly if the injury that came about was in no way your fault. Having to devote time to resting and recuperating can be incredibly inconvenient and even expensive: you may end up losing earnings and even if your job if your injury leaves you unable to perform your role for a longer period of time (or even permanently).
It is undeniably easier to injure yourself in some ways than others, and indeed there will always be certain types of injury that occur more frequently. Perhaps the most common category of accident claimed for is slips, trips and falls, one of the most often seen – and distressing – of these being pavement falls, i.e. those that occur while out and about as a result of poorly maintained public pavements. First things first, however: what is slip, trip and fall compensation?
Slips, trips and falls compensation
Although, as previously mentioned, slipping on a pavement is one of the most common of these types of accident, especially in the cold weather, you can sustain a slip, trip or fall injury in a number of ways. For example:
- Slipping on a wet floor in a shop or supermarket where a product has been spilled or not cleared up.
- Falling over in a restaurant where the floor has been cleaned but not properly signposted.
- On a train platform on an extremely cold day when rail staff have not spread salt or grit on it in order to combat ice.
- If a council house has a damaged doorstep that you end up tripping over it and injuring yourself.
- Tripping over an improperly secured wire or incorrectly fitted carpet in an office.
However these accidents happen, they can all result in a number of unpleasant injuries, and as such it’s no wonder that people often try and seek compensation as a result.
Pavement fall compensation
As with many injuries brought about by the negligence of another, many people seek some form of compensation when they suffer an injury while out and about. Pavements are a big risk, with slabs capable of coming loose, getting cracked, chipped or otherwise damaged in such a way as to easily cause people to stumble over them. Potholes can also cause similar incidents, as it is easy to catch your foot in them and trip as a result.
In these instances, the responsibility of maintaining these surfaces – and the failure to do so – lies with your local authority. As such, if the accident was not your fault, you are well within your rights to attempt to seek some form of recompense: if you hurt your back, for example, why wouldn’t you want to at least look into back injury compensation?
How to pursue a pavement fall injury claim
After you have received the immediate medical attention you require, one of the first things you should do is contact a knowledgeable solicitor. After supplying them with all the relevant information, such as when and how the accident happened (along with photographs of the offending piece of pavement if possible), they will be able to make an expert assessment of your claim and as such be able to tell you if you have a sufficient case in order to take things further.
While it is difficult to predict without a full assessment of each individual situation, you could try using a personal injury compensation calculator in order to estimate just how much you might receive in the way of compensation for your injury.
