Wherever you’ve slipped or tripped it’s important that you get as much information about your accident as you can, as soon as you can.
Do you have a photograph? Does your photograph show the area where you tripped or slipped not just close up but generally to give an idea of the location? Did you put a 2 pence coin or a ruler against the trip so that we have an idea of the size of it? All of this will help us to help you and work out if you have a claim or not.
You’ll find that everyone dealing with claims against the council about trips is obsessed with one thing – SIZE – it does matter.
If you tripped on the highway – footpath or road – there are minimum standards that that the council have to follow about inspection of the highway, repairs and maintenance. Normally the busier the area where your accident happened the higher the standards of inspection and maintenance will be. But as a rule of thumb your trip will need to be a minimum of 1 inch or 25 mm.
We can look at your matter in detail for free and it will help if you can bring us a photograph of the highway where you fell, close up with a ruler or 2p coin and a general photo of the area as well. This will help to assess your prospects of success as well as identifying the area of the accident. Whilst we’re talking about the area of the accident – be sure that you’re certain about which paving flagstone or hole you fell at – there’s no room for doubt – you have to be able to positively identify it without any shadow of doubt.
We’ll also need as much information as you can give us about your injuries because of the trip so that we can start to put a financial value on the claim. That may not be important so far as you’re concerned (most people aren’t so bothered about the value of their claim they just want an apology) but from the point of view of the law and dealing with the claim it’s just as important as size! We have to know that the value of your claim will be at least £1,000 (soon to rise due to proposed changes to the law made by the government to £1,500) to be able to deal with it.
If we can deal with your claim then we’ll deal with it as a no win no fee claim to give you peace of mind about legal costs; with us you won’t have to worry about any hidden surprises along the way.
Was your accident at work or in a public place like a shop? If it was, then it’s just as important to gather the evidence as soon as you can. If you can do, get back to the location and take a photograph – it will help us to understand where you were and what it was you slipped or tripped on.
You need to be absolutely certain about what it was that you slipped or tripped on, no room for doubt again. Shops and public places will have standards to meet in terms of inspections and cleaning. They can be quite different depending on the size and resources of the place where you had your accident. So, as much information as possible about the place you had your accident at is helpful to us to be able to work out your prospect of success.
You really must wherever possible make sure that you’ve reported the accident so that it’s in the accident book. If you don’t have a copy of the accident book entry you’re entitled to it so go back and ask for it. If you haven’t reported the accident already then you should do so now and make sure you explain why you didn’t report the accident sooner – no doubt because you were in too much pain and discomfort as well as being embarrassed about it!
Try to keep details of any witnesses to the accident – especially independent ones (people who didn’t know you before the accident). It’s usually the last thing on our minds when we have an accident but now that you know it’s important maybe you can trace these people or gather information that might help us to on your behalf.
Cast your mind back and make a careful note now if you haven’t already, about what any members of staff or management at the place you fell at said to you. For example did they say anything about how long the spillage had been there before you slipped on it? It could be important. Write down their names and if not a description of the person or people you spoke to.
Over the years we’ve helped people who have had slipping and tripping accidents all around South East Northumberland, Newcastle and beyond. There’s really no substitute for local knowledge and skill. We’ve managed to successfully claim for many people where the council or employer or occupier insurance companies have denied liability to begin with; usually because of a combination of our local knowledge, skill and helpful information like the kind listed above collected from our clients.
We’re proud of our successes and we work very hard for every single one of our clients. Don’t just take our word for it though – see what our clients themselves have said about us.
Over the years, we’ve probably seen it all. We’ve claimed for accidents on footpaths, roadways, car parks, shopping centres, factories, cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels. We’ve even successfully claimed for slipping on an ice rink – yes really!
To find out for free if we can help you too, just give us a call on 01670 368738.