By Danielle Newton. Last updated 5th May. Slips, trips, and falls can result in various physical and mental issues. If you’ve suffered this type of accident due to someone else’s negligence in Scotland, you may be owed compensation. You could be entitled to make a personal injury claim in Scotland for the financial, physical, and psychological damage caused.
Guide to slips, trips and falls claims
Before beginning this guide, you may have questions such as:
- What evidence is needed for a personal injury claim?
- Can I claim for an injury caused by damaged or broken flooring/pavement?
Our team of advisers are available 24 hours a day to offer you free legal advice and answer any queries you may have. They can assess the amount of compensation you could be owed and explore your next steps.
If you’re entitled to compensation, they can connect you to an experienced personal injury lawyer from our panel to discuss No Win No Fee agreements. One of our solicitors can then begin your personal injury claim and seek the compensation you deserve if you have strong grounds for a claim.
You can get in touch with a friendly adviser via:
- Telephone on 0800 408 7825 to have a chat about your case.
- Our online contact form to ask for a callback when you’re ready.
- Our live chat box to chat with an adviser right now.
Select A Section
- What Are Slip And Trip Accidents?
- What Are The Most Common Causes Of Trips And Slips?
- Slips, Trips And Falls In The Workplace
- Slips, Trips And Falls On The Pavement Or Potholes
- Evidence Needed For A Personal Injury Claim
- How Much Is A Slip and Trip Claim Worth?
- Talk To A No Win No Fee Lawyer Covering Scotland
- Related Scottish Injury Claims Guides
What Are Slip And Trip Accidents?
A slip, trip and fall accident can leave you with multiple injuries. This can then cause various mental, financial, and physical issues to arise.
The graph above includes RIDDOR statistics showing reported non-fatal injuries to employees in Great Britain, by kind of accident, in 2020/21. As shown, slips, trip, or falls on the same level is the most common workplace accident, with 16,698 reports.
On the other hand, drowning or asphyxiation is the least common accident, with 5 reports.
Different parties owe you a duty of care to protect your health and safety. For example:
- Employers owe employees a duty of care at work
- Those in control of places accessible to the public owe visitors a duty of care
If they breach this duty of care and you slip, trip of fall as a consequence, you could claim for injuries caused.
What Are The Most Common Causes Of Trips And Slips?
There are various ways that a slip, trip, and fall accident can occur during an accident at work or in a public place. Here are some examples:
- Wet floors – If a floor is wet due to spillage, you could slip on it and suffer an injury, such as a broken ankle.
- Tripping on an object – An object on the ground could result in you tripping over and suffering an injury, such as a broken wrist.
- Damaged stairs – If you walk on a flight of damaged stairs, you could fall and suffer an injury, such as a broken foot.
- Poor weather – An example of this could be if the floor is icy and you slip, which could cause an injury such as a broken forearm.
Slips, Trips And Falls In The Workplace
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states that employers have a duty of care to protect and safeguard their employees. They can do this by:
- Ensuring there aren’t any objects on the floor that an employee could trip on. For example, there could be loose wires trailing across the floor that can be securely removed or the risk can be reduced by adding a cord cover.
- Placing wet floor signs near spillages. This will alert employees of the spillage, preventing them from slipping.
- Shovelling ice away from pathways outside the workplace or placing grit down. This will help prevent people from slipping.
- Completing safety checks on equipment and objects within the workplace, and reducing or removing risks that are brought to their attention (such as faulty staircase rails).
Slips, Trips And Falls On The Pavement Or Potholes
The Occupiers’ Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 concludes that anyone who occupies or controls a public place has a duty of care to keep anyone who has access to it (whether invited or not) safe. Here are some examples of accidents that can occur in a public place:
- Manholes – If a manhole isn’t fixed or secured by the occupier of a public place and there aren’t any warning signs, you could fall down it and injure yourself.
- Scaffolding accidents – This type of accident in a public place can be extremely dangerous. If scaffolding isn’t secure, it could land on your head and result in brain injuries, or even accidental death.
- Loose paving slabs – If a paving slab is loose, you could trip over it and injure yourself.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of advisers to have a chat about your situation if you’ve suffered a public place accident. They can have a chat about your situation and connect you to an expert personal injury solicitor for Scotland from our panel if you have a legitimate claim.
Evidence Needed For A Personal Injury Claim
It can be a good idea to gather sufficient evidence to provide throughout your claim. This can help prove that the accident was due to someone else’s negligence and how severe your injuries are.
Here are some examples of evidence you could provide:
- CCTV footage – If you can get hold of CCTV footage of your accident, it can be helpful to provide this in your claim. This can show clear videos and images of exactly how the accident took place and who may have been at fault.
- Images – If you have visible injuries, such as cuts and lacerations, you can take pictures to use in your claim. This can prove how severe these injuries were.
- Witness contact details for statements – You may have had witnesses to your accident. Using these in your claim can prove that other people saw the accident happen how you say it did.
- Medical records – It can also be a good idea to use your medical records in your claim. This can show what injuries you’re diagnosed with and the severity of them, as well as the length of treatment and recovery.
You can contact our team of advisers today to have a chat about your potential claim. They’re available around the clock to answer your questions and assist you with anything you need. If you have a promising claim, they can connect you to an expert personal injury lawyer from our panel to begin your personal injury claim.
How Much Is A Slip And Trip Claim Worth?
Settlements for successful slips and trips claims may consist of general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate you for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by the injuries you experienced in the slip, trip and fall. When valuing injuries, legal professionals may use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) from Judiciary UK as guidance. This document lists compensation brackets for different types of injuries.
We’ve included some of the compensation brackets from the 16th edition of the JCG in our table below. Please only use it as a guide.
| Injury: | Severity: | Notes: | Compensation: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injuries to the Pelvis and Hips | Severe (i) | Hip and pelvis injuries of an extensive nature. This may include the lower back joint dislocating and the bladder rupturing. This could result in a lack of bladder control and dysfunction sexually. | £73,580 to £122,860 |
| Injuries to the Pelvis and Hips | Moderate (i) | The hip or pelvis is significantly injured but there’s no significant risk in the future. | £24,950 to £36,770 |
| Foot Injuries | Very Severe | Permanent disability is very serious or there is severe and permanent pain. For example, forefoot amputation that’s traumatic or the need for complete amputation. | £78,800 to £102,890 |
| Foot Injuries | Severe | Permanent pain or both heels or feet are fractured, significantly restricting mobility. On the other hand, one foot could be severely injured. | £39,390 to £65,710 |
| Leg Injuries | Severe Leg Injuries (ii) Very Serious | Mobility is permanently affected, resulting in crutches or other walking aids being needed. Many fractures may have a long healing time and need treatment that’s extensive. | £51,460 to £85,600 |
| Leg Injuries | (iv) Moderate | Multiple, complicated fractures, including a singular limb being severely crushed. | |
| Toe Injuries | Amputation of All Toes | The amount of compensation awarded depends on if the amputation was during surgery or traumatic and how much mobility remains. | £34,270 to £52,620 |
| Toe Injuries | Severe Toe Injuries | Crush injuries that are severe and result in one or two toes being amputated (apart from the great toe). This also includes severe toe injuries and wounds. | £12,900 to £29,770 |
| Mental Anguish | Severe | Frightened of impending death. | £4,380 |
Special Damages
Additionally, you might also be awarded special damages as part of your settlement. This is to compensate you for the financial losses incurred due to your injury. To claim special damages, you should supply evidence of your financial losses, such as bank statements and receipts.
Examples of what losses you could be compensated for include:
- Your lost wages, including your present and future losses caused by any time taken off work for your injury.
- Medical expenses, such as medication costs and therapy.
- Travel costs, such as taxi fares to medical appointments.
If you would like your slip and trip claim to be valued for free, contact our advisors. They can also advise on what financial losses you could recover and include this in your claim valuation.
Talk To A No Win No Fee Lawyer Covering Scotland
Our panel of personal injury lawyers for Scotland would be happy to have a chat with you regarding No Win No Fee agreements, also known as Success Fee Agreements. Claiming on a No Win No Fee basis means you and your lawyer will sign an agreement. This will state the conditions your lawyer must meet to receive payment.
If your claim fails, you won’t be required to pay your lawyer’s fees. If your claim wins, your lawyer will take a percentage of your compensation. This percentage will depend on how much compensation you are awarded.
There are various financial benefits to a No Win No Fee agreement, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our friendly team of advisers are here 24 hours a day to assess your needs and assist you in making a claim.
If your slip, trip, or fall accident claim is legitimate, you can be connected to a personal injury lawyer for Scotland from our panel to begin your claim. They will also discuss working on a No Win No Fee claim basis with you.
You can get in touch with our excellent team of advisers by:
- Giving them a call on 0800 408 7825 to receive free legal advice, available 24/7.
- Contacting us and asking them to call you back when you’re next available.
- Using our instant chat pop-up box to then chatting with an adviser straight away.
Related Scottish Injury Claims Guides
£21,750 Compensation Payout For An Accident At Work Knee Injury Claim – You can find information about claiming for a workplace accident in our article
£14,750 Compensation Payout For An Accident At Work Hand Injury – You can find useful guidance in our article about how to make a claim for a hand injury caused by an accident at work.
£24,250 Compensation Payout For An Accident At Work Eye Injury – Our article offers guidance about suffering an eye injury during an accident at work.
Fractured Wrist – This NHS link includes important guidance about a wrist fracture.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder In Adults – Are you experiencing anxiety due to your injury? You can find helpful information on this NHS page.
Treatment Of Fractures – You can find helpful guidance on this NHS page about how to treat a broken bone.
Thank you for reading our article about slips, trips, and falls in Scotland.
Article by OA
Publisher UI