If you have been injured after you tripped on a rug in a public place, you may be wondering if you would be able to claim compensation. In this guide, we look at examples of payouts of what someone could possibly be awarded if their public liability claim is successful.
Additionally, we explain the public liability claims eligibility criteria and look at what duty of care occupiers of a public place have with regard to your health and safety. We also look at what type of injuries someone could sustain if they had a slip and fall accident in a public place.
Furthermore, this guide lists what evidence would be helpful to collect in order to support a claim for a personal injury.
Continue reading to find out more about what you can do if you have been injured from tripping on a rug in a public place. If you do have an eligible claim, our advisors can put you in contact with our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors, who can help you throughout the claims process.
You can speak with our advisors about your potential case. To reach them, you can:
- Call on 0800 073 8801.
- Type a message in our live chat feature in the corner of the page.
- Find out if you can start your claim online by filling out our form.
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- Examples Of Payouts For Fall Injuries If You Tripped On A Rug
- Eligibility To Claim If You Tripped On A Rug In A Public Place
- What Injuries Could Be Sustained If You Tripped On A Rug In Public?
- Evidence Supporting Public Accident Claims
- Can You Make A No Win No Fee Public Accident Claim?
- Discover More About Public Liability Claims
Examples Of Payouts For Fall Injuries If You Tripped On A Rug
There are two heads of loss under which you could potentially receive compensation if your public liability claim is successful.
Under the general damages head of loss, you are compensated for the pain and suffering of your physical and/or psychological fall injury. The following factors can be considered when general damages are being evaluated:
- The length of time it will take for you to recover.
- How severe your injury is.
- Whether your quality of life has been impacted.
- The medical care you received.
When valuing general damages, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), which contain guideline award brackets for different injuries, are referred to alongside an independent medical report. This report is generated from an independent medical assessment you may need to attend as part of the personal injury claims process.
Compensation Table
In the compensation table below, you can find a selection of guideline award brackets for some types of injuries that may be sustained from a trip and fall accident. These are all from the JCG, except the first line.
Please use the table as a guide only, as settlements will vary depending on your unique case.
| Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Brackets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries and special damages | Serious | Up to and above £500,000 | An award comprising compensation for the pain and suffering of multiple serious injuries plus their monetary costs, such as lost wages, care costs, and medical expenses. |
| Brain damage | Moderately severe (b) | £219,070 to £282,010 | The person experiences a very serious disability and has substantial dependence on others. They require constant care. |
| Moderate (c) (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | A severe to moderate intellectual deficit and personality change alongside an effect on the senses. There are no employment prospects. | |
| Leg | Severe (b) (ii) | £54,830 to £87,890 | Very serious injuries that cause permanent problems with mobility, such as multiple fractures that have taken a period of years to heal. |
| Back | Severe (a) (iii) | £38,780 to £69,730 | Disc lesions or fractures causing chronic conditions. |
| Moderate (b) (i) | £27,760 to £38,780 | Cases within this bracket include a prolapsed intervertebral disc that requires surgery. | |
| Ankle | Very severe (a) | £50,060 to £69,700 | A bilateral ankle fracture resulting in joint degeneration. |
| Elbow | Severe (a) | £39,170 to £54,830 | An injury to the elbow causing a severe disability. |
| Wrist | Significant (b) | £24,500 to £39,170 | Injuries causing a significant and permanent disability but some useful movement remains. |
Financial Losses For A Slip And Fall Accident Claim
Under the special damages head of loss, you are compensated for the financial losses caused by your injuries. For example:
- Travel costs, such as taxis to hospital appointments.
- Loss of earnings if you were unable to work due to your injury.
- Medical bills, such as prescription costs.
Keep hold of any evidence that demonstrates the financial losses you have incurred. This can be in the form of receipts, payslips, bank statements, and invoices.
To find out more about what compensation you could receive for your injuries after you tripped on a rug in a public place, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.
Eligibility To Claim If You Tripped On A Rug In A Public Place
Those with control over a public space owe a duty of care to every member of the public who uses their space for its intended purpose. This duty of care is established in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and requires them to take steps to ensure the reasonable safety of public members.
For example, they need to:
- Conduct risk assessments on a regular basis to reduce or remove the risk of injury posed by any hazards they’re aware of, including any hazards that pose a fall risk.
- Respond to and address, as soon as is reasonably possible, any hazards that have been reported by the public.
If an occupier breached their duty of care, it could lead to an accident in which you tripped on a rug. However, in order to start a public liability claim, you need to prove the following:
- A duty of care was owed to you.
- This duty of care was not adhered to.
- Because of this, you suffered an injury.
Talk to our advisors today about your trip and fall accident. They can assess whether you have a valid personal injury claim in a free consultation.
Time Limits On Public Accident Claims
For a typical public place accident claim, there is a 3-year time limit imposed. The Limitation Act 1980 sets this time limit. This means that anyone who wants to begin a personal injury claim for their public place accident must do so within 3 years from the date of the accident.
However, there are a couple of circumstances where the standard time limit does not apply and is instead paused. These are if:
- The claimant was under 18 years old when they had their accident.
- The claimant lacks the mental capacity to be able to claim.
For these cases, a litigation friend can be appointed to represent the claim on the claimant’s behalf while the limitation period is paused.
Our advisors can tell you more about the personal injury claims time limit, its exceptions, and how long you have to start legal proceedings.
What Injuries Could Be Sustained If You Tripped On A Rug In Public?
There are many public places where you could trip on a rug. For example, retail spaces, gyms and leisure centres, libraries and museums.
Here are a few examples of how you could trip on a rug in a public place due to an occupier not adhering to their duty of care, and what fall injuries could result from them:
- An accident in a shop could occur if the edges of the carpeted floor were coming away from the sides of the wall and the retailer knew about the trip hazard but didn’t repair the tear or warn shoppers of the hazard. As a result, you trip on the carpet and sustain a broken leg injury for which you could potentially seek compensation.
- There is a rug in a gym that has curled edges. You therefore sustain a head injury from tripping on the rug in a gym accident. In some cases, a traumatic brain injury could be sustained from severe fall accidents.
Some more types of fall injuries that could be suffered from a trip and fall include sprains, strains, neck injuries, and other soft-tissue injuries. Also, nerve damage and spinal cord injuries such as a slipped disc injury.
If you make a successful claim, you could be awarded compensation to address the impacts of your injuries. Call our team today to find out if you’re eligible to proceed.
Evidence Supporting Public Accident Claims
If you have been injured after having tripped on a rug in a public place, and you wish to make a public liability claim, you should gather evidence. Examples of the types of evidence that could help build and strengthen your case include:
- CCTV footage of your accident.
- Photographs of your fall injuries and the accident scene.
- Copies of your medical report and doctor’s notes to show the medical treatment that you needed.
- A record your symptoms, treatment, and psychological effects in a diary.
- The contact information from any witnesses to your accident.
If one of our solicitors works on your case, they can help you collect evidence as part of the services they provide. Contact an advisor to find out if you’re eligible to be connected to one of our expert solicitors.
Can You Make A No Win No Fee Public Accident Claim?
You can contact our advisors to see whether you have a valid public liability claim after having tripped on a rug in a public place. They offer No Win No Fee terms by offering a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
It would benefit you to instruct a solicitor under a CFA. Firstly, you would not have to pay any fees for their work upfront or during your case. You also won’t pay any fees for their services if your claim is unsuccessful.
You will pay a success fee from your compensation if your claim is successful. Your solicitor takes this as a percentage of your compensation. However, the percentage they can take has a legal cap.
Contact Us
You should contact us if you have suffered an injury after you tripped on a rug in a public place. Our advisors could connect you with a one of our specialist personal injury solicitors if you’re eligible. They could help you claim compensation for the impact of your injuries.
For a free consultation of your case, you can:
- Call on 0800 073 8801.
- Type a message in our live chat feature in the corner of the page.
- Find out if you can start your claim online by filling out our form.
Discover More About Public Liability Claims
For more of our helpful personal injury claims guides:
- If you have a sprained ankle after an accident, see how much compensation you could receive if your personal injury claim is successful.
- Find out how to sue a company for an injury after an accident in a public place.
- Advice on how to win a personal injury claim, such as the evidence you could gather to support your case.
External:
- A campaign on fall prevention from the Royal Society for the Prevention Of Accidents (RoSPA).
- An overview on falls, including what you can do if you’re injured, from the NHS.
- Learn if you could claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) with this government guide.
Thank you for reading our guide on what you could claim in compensation if you tripped on a rug in a public place and suffered an injury. If you have any other questions, please contact an advisor on the number above.