Shopping Accident Compensation: Your Right to Claim

Shopping trips are supposed to be a pleasant experience for most; however, Slip, trip and fall accidents in supermarkets, shops, and shopping centres happen on a daily basis, with many shoppers sustaining serious injuries as a result. If you have been injured in a shop, you may be considering making a claim for shopping accident compensation.

The thought of making a claim may be daunting, especially if you have never made a claim and do not know the processes involved. If your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to make a personal injury compensation claim.

Beacon Law’s specialist solicitors will make the claims process as easy as possible for you, and will provide specialist advice and support throughout your claim, keeping you updated along the way. We will work hand to ensure you receive maximum compensation for your injuries. Contact us today to have a free, no obligation conversation about making your no win, no fee claim for compensation.

Common Types of Shopping Accidents

Beacon Law regularly deal with accident in shop claims arising from a number of issues in shops, supermarkets and shopping centres. The most common types of shopping accidents include:

• Customers slipping on a wet floor
• Customers tripping on broken tiles or uneven flooring
• Customers being struck by falling objects or shelves
• Customers tripping on objects on the ground due to poor house keeping

Shopping Accidents: Who is Responsible?

Shop owners have a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957  to ensure that all legal visitors to their premises are safe. The management of shops, shopping centres, and supermarkets will therefore be held liable if a customer is injured as a result of their breach of this act. Under this act, it is important that staff and management in shops maintain the premises to a high standard, this includes:

• Clearing up spillages within a reasonable period of time.
• Using “wet floor” signs to make visitors to the premises aware of any hazards caused by wet or slippery floors.
• Have regular inspections in place to ensure all walkways are clear and free from tripping or slipping hazards.
• Clear any tripping hazards, such as boxes or packaging, within a reasonable period of time.
• Repair any defects within a reasonable period of time.

If you have had an accident caused by a negligent member of staff in a shopping area, the management of the store will be held responsible and any personal injury claim will be brought against them.

Shopping Accident Compensation: Who Pays?

As the owners or management of the shop, supermarket, or shopping centre will be the responsible party for your accident, we would usually bring the claim for shopping accident compensation against the business. Most businesses will have appropriate Public Liability insurance in place to cover them for any type of accident which occurs on their property as a result of their negligence. As long as their is suitable insurance in place, the insurance company will usually pay your compensation.

Making a Claim for Shopping Accident Compensation

You may feel anxious or overwhelmed about making a shopping accident compensation claim, however, Beacon Law will make the process as easy as possible to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Making a shopping accident compensation claim may help to ensure that this type of accident does not happen to other customers shopping in the same establishment.

If you have have suffered an accident whilst shopping, you should always report the accident to a member of staff and request that the accident is recorded in an accident book or on an accident report form. You should also request a copy of this report. If possible, you should take photographs of the scene of the accident, or the defect which caused your accident, as well as photographs of your injuries.

If there were any witnesses to your accident, you should try to obtain their name and contact details so that we can request a witness statement from them.

You should always seek medical attention for your injuries at hospital, or with your G.P, to have them assessed and treated. Make sure you keep copies of any receipts for medical treatment, or parking expenses incurred by you as a result of the accident so that you can claim them back later.

There is a three year time limit on making a personal injury claim (although this can be extended in certain circumstances), so it is best to initiate the claim soon after the date of the accident. When you are ready to speak to someone about making a shopping accident compensation claim, get in touch with Beacon Law using the contact details below, or by filling in the form on our “contact us” page.

One of our friendly and experienced personal injury solicitors will discuss your claim with you, including the accident circumstances, your injuries, and the process of making a personal injury claim. If you decide to proceed with making a claim following your discussion, we will send you some paperwork to fill in before we send details of your claim to the Defendant. We will keep you updated throughout your claim and we will request further information from you if required.

The first step in bringing a claim for compensation is establishing liability. If the defendant admits liability for your shopping accident within the required time frames, we can quickly proceed to obtaining evidence of your injuries and settling your claim. There are, however, some instances where it will take longer to establish liability on part of the Defendant.

If the Defendant admits liability, we can proceed to obtain medical evidence and settle your claim. In most cases, you will be required to attend an appointment with an independent medical expert who will provide a written report on your injuries which we will send to the Defendant as evidence of your injuries before entering negotiations on your monetary settlement.

How Much Shopping Accident Compensation Will You Receive?

We are unable to make a valuation on your injuries from the outset of the claim. Your compensation award will be split into general damages for your injuries and special damages for any additional losses.

The amount of general damages you receive will be based on your pain, suffering and loss of amenity. Valuation of your general damages will vary based on the type and severity of the injury sustained. Personal Injury compensation can be anything from £1,000 to £100,000 (or more) depending on the seriousness of the injuries. It is therefore very difficult to assess the level of damages you may be entitled to without first assessing your injuries and your case in detail.

You will also be able to make a claim for special damages which covers any additional losses you sustained as a result of the accident. These can include:

• Loss of earnings for any time taken off work as a result of the sustained injuries.
• Medical treatment costs.
• Travel costs for journeys to and from appointments.
• Compensation for additional care and assistance required as a result of your injures – either paid or unpaid.

Why Choose Beacon Law to Assist With Your Shopping Accident Compensation Claim?

Beacon Law are specialist personal injury Solicitors based in Manchester. We have helped many of our clients obtain a compensation award for their injuries sustained as the result of a shopping accident. We deal with personal injury claims on a daily basis and have vast experience in injury-related cases.

Claiming compensation can be a difficult task to carry out alone; therefore, it is essential that you have expert Solicitors to guide you through the process.

 If you have been injured whilst shopping, you can initiate your claim for shopping accident compensation by having an initial consultation with a member of staff from our personal injury department. Simply having a chat with us about your case does not mean you have to choose us to act as your Solicitors. It may be useful to discuss the circumstances specific to your case and obtain legal advice by way of an initial consultation. 

You can request an initial consultation by completing the online help form and an expert in the field with contact you to discuss your case. Alternatively, you can call us on 0330 1332 857, and we will be happy to assist you with your query.

Beacon Law are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. To find out about our no win, no fee funding, have a look at the funding section on our website.