Accidents occur when you least expect them. None more so than when out shopping. What starts out as a relaxing weekend activity or a mundane trip down to the supermarket can result in months of physical pain following an unexpected slip.
Supermarket floors can often become slippery due to their smooth surface and the presence of accidental spills. Supermarkets do, however, have a duty of care to every customer to ensure there is no risk of injury in their stores, When this is breached, and injuries result, compensation is owed to the customer.
When will a supermarket be liable for a fall?
There are several hazards that can cause slips and trips in supermarkets, these might include spilled food or drink, slippery or broken flooring and if a floor has been freshly washed. If the floor is wet, there is an obligation for the supermarket to notify customers and employees, usually with a wet floor sign. When a supermarket breaches this duty of care towards their customers and employees and someone falls as a result, then the individual is legally entitled to make a claim against the supermarket and compensation may be owed.
This duty of care was demonstrated in a recent case following a slip at Dunnes Stores in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire. A woman who was left in "excruciating pain" after slipping on a wet shop floor because of rain was awarded more than £40,000 in compensation last month. Pauline Sullivan, 41, fell after stepping off a mat onto a tiled floor at the Dunnes Stores. Ms Sullivan, a mother of one, remained in hospital for a week in November 2015 and had two operations after dislocating her left knee and suffering severe ligament damage. She was off work for five months and needed mobility aids to walk. Sheriff Peter Braid found that the store was solely to blame in not exercising due care and attention towards their customers and ordered them to pay £41,835.55 in compensation.
Our track record of getting our clients the compensation they deserve
We have a proven track record of winning compensation for our clients in cases like this. A client we represented recently as noted in our case study was shopping in her local supermarket when she slipped on a milk spillage on the floor, which the supermarket had neglected to clean up despite the spillage having occurred two hours prior to the accident. As a result of the accident, our client fell heavily onto her right knee. She suffered from soft tissue injuries to her neck, right shoulder, lower back and coccyx and both of her knees. She also sustained a chipped tooth. After we intimated the claim to the supermarket, and following a period of investigation, they responded to us to confirm that they accepted liability for or client's accident.
We proceeded to recover a copy of our client's medical records and instructed a report from a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. We also required to raise Court proceedings to protect our client's claim. The medical report confirmed that our client's injuries as a result of the accident would have resolved within nine to twelve months from the accident. We were delighted to be able to settle the case for our client, with the supermarket paying damages of £5,000 to our client.
In another of our recent cases, our client suddenly slipped on some vegetable which had been squashed by other shoppers in the fruit and vegetable aisle. As a result of the incident, she suffered from a broken bone in her foot. Following initial denial of liability from the supermarket, we were successful in reaching a settlement of £5000 for our client.
Contact our personal injury lawyers today
We will always endeavour to get our clients the compensation they rightly deserve in cases like this and we will stand up to large supermarkets who often fight hard to deny they were at fault. If you have suffered a slip at a supermarket and believe you are entitled to compensation, please contact us today, and we will strive to get you the compensation due to you.
Call us on 0800 988 8082 or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you without delay.
