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When you’re out and about, whether in the park, the street, or another public place, you should be able to go about your day without the risk of injury.
Businesses have a duty to make sure that you’re safe whenever you enter their premises and public bodies such as councils and local authorities must make sure public highways are properly maintained.
If you’ve had an accident in a public place, you could be entitled to compensation. Even if you’re not sure who was responsible for your injuries, it’s worth getting in touch - our expert personal injury lawyers will investigate your case to work out who is responsible and assess if you could make a claim.
We’ve helped thousands of clients get the compensation they deserve following accidents including:
By making a claim for your accident in a public place, you could secure compensation to help you access the rehabilitation and support you need to make the best possible recovery. Our personal injury solicitors have a proven track record in claims of this nature and have secured clients more than £1 billion in compensation over the last two years.
Your accident in a public place claim could be made on a No Win No Fee basis* which means that even if your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay any legal fees. We also offer a free initial consultation where we can talk about your case and discuss how we could help you.
To arrange a free initial consultation about your accident in public places claim, call us free on 0800 056 4110 or contact us online.
Accidents In Public Places Claims - More Information
When you contact us, you’ll speak to a member of our friendly team, who will talk to you about your injury. This initial consultation is free - from there, we can advise you on the best way to take your claim forward.
Contacting Those Responsible For Your Injuries
We’ll then get in touch with those responsible for your accident at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for what happened. If they do, we’ll try to secure some of your compensation upfront, which can fund private medical care and expenses while your claim is ongoing. These payments, known as interim payments, will be taken out of your final compensation award.
Gathering Evidence
Our experts will look into your case in detail, gathering evidence from various sources such as witnesses, CCTV and independent medical professionals.
We’ll employ medical professionals to find out how your accident or illness impacted your health and recommend the care you’ll need in the future in order to make the best recovery possible.
Final Settlement & Compensation Awarded
We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. However, if your opponent doesn’t accept responsibility or doesn’t agree with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we’ll start court proceedings.
Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim needs to be decided at court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way, talking you through what will happen so you feel as comfortable as possible.
By making a personal injury compensation claim, you can access funds to help cover expenses, as well as any medical treatment you may need.
Every personal injury case is different, so there’s no set amount of compensation you’ll receive. The amount of compensation you’ll get will depend on your circumstances, the severity of your injuries and the long term impact.
To work out how much compensation you’re entitled to, we’ll take into account factors such as:
Expenses – including travel expenses to medical appointments, medical equipment and things that help with practical day-to-day living.
Loss of earnings – to cover any time you’ve had off work and time off you may need in the future. This figure can also cover matters such as not returning to the same role or not being able to return to work.
Pain and suffering – caused by your injury or illness.
Further treatments – to pay for any further surgery or medical procedures you may need after experiencing negligent treatment.
Care costs – to fund home care visits and past and future rehabilitative treatments.
If you’d like to make a compensation claim, contact us to set up a free initial consultation on 0800 056 4110.
You normally have to make a personal injury claim within three years of your accident so it’s best to contact us as soon as possible. If you get in touch with us soon after your accident, it can make collecting evidence a little easier as there are often fewer problems finding witnesses whose statements we may need to support your case.
There are some exceptions to the three year time limit, including:
Claims on behalf of children – these can be made at any point before their 18th birthday. When the child reaches 18, they can make their own claim at any stage until they turn 21.
Mental capacity – there are no time limits to make a claim on behalf of someone who doesn’t have the ability to handle their own case.
Fatal claims – to make a claim on behalf of a loved one, you have three years from the date they died to make a claim. If a post-mortem found that the death was caused by an accident or illness, you have three years from the point where you discovered these findings.
If you would like to make a personal injury claim, we urge you to contact us as soon as possible so we can start work on your case. Call us today on 0800 056 4110 for a free initial consultation to discuss your situation.
Many of our cases are funded with a No Win No Fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.
At the start of your case we’ll discuss funding options with you, advising you which one we think is most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be better options to fund your claim. Legal expenses insurance is included in many household insurance policies, so it’s always worth checking whether you’re already covered.
If we think you’re best supported by a No Win No Fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that will protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay if your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees.
Please visit our No Win No Fee page for more information on how it works.
Our personal injury solicitors are based across the country, so wherever you are, we’re on hand to help. We’ll always take the time to get to know you and will make sure we understand what happened in your accident and the effect it has had on your life.
Our lawyers are highly ranked in leading legal guides the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. In 2022, the Legal 500 described us as "a market leader in claimant personal injury work. IM stands out within the field for the specialism within its teams and the excellence of its lawyers throughout."
Chambers & Partners (2022) said: “Irwin Mitchell is truly standout in this area, with quality and depth right across the board."
We’re also proud to have won the Claimant Solicitor of the Year prize at the Rehabilitation First Awards on seven different occasions. This award recognises our key focus on rehabilitation, working hard to make sure our clients can access the care and support they need.
I was so relieved and so pleased that Irwin Mitchell decided to take on my case.”
Karen, client
Client Story – Karen's Story
Karen O’Brien was heading to an exhibition in London when she endured a traumatising ordeal in Waterloo station. As she tried to pass through the ticket barriers, the gates malfunctioned and snapped back too early, trapping her in between.
Eventually she was freed by station staff, but the injuries she sustained aggravated a respiratory condition Karen already struggled with. The incident also had a lasting psychological impact, leaving her with entrapment phobia.
We secured a four figure settlement for Karen and helped organise Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help her manage her phobia and move on with her life.
“The incident has had a huge impact on my life - I have developed a phobia of being trapped and also have regular nightmares and flashbacks. I’m extremely relieved that I can start to put the incident behind me thanks to the settlement.” - Karen, client
"Hopefully, lessons can be learned from this event and the subsequent report, so nobody else will have to go through the same thing as Karen.” - Louise Binks, Solicitor
A public place is any space that the general public can access, whether on a paid or unpaid basis. It’s a common misconception that privately owned properties aren’t public places: this is not the case…
and the same rules apply when it comes to your safety.
Some examples of public places include:
Shops
Bars and restaurants
Cinema, theatres and music venues
Parks
Roads and paths
Museums, and tourist attractions
Gyms and sports venues
We urge you to contact us if you’ve been in an accident in a public place, as our lawyers could help you get the compensation you deserve. For more information, call us today on 0800 056 4110.
What Types Of Accident Can Happen In Public Spaces?
Accidents in public places can take a variety of forms and can cause a number of different injuries. Our specialist personal injury solicitors have helped clients who’ve been injured in a wide range of situations, including:
Slipping on wet floors (where no hazard signs were present)
Tripping over potholes/paving slabs
Falling over wires (which should have been cleared)
Being hit by falling objects
Falling from an unstable or poorly constructed platform
Electric shocks
Slipping on an icy surface
We know what it takes to get you the compensation you deserve and have a proven track record of success in claims of this nature. Not only do we have the largest team of personal injury lawyers in the country, we’re also experts in helping you access the rehabilitation and support you need to make the best recovery you can.
If you would like to find out more about making a claim with our personal injury experts, contact us today on 0800 056 4110.
Who Is Responsible For Accidents In Public Places?
Accidents in public places normally happen because the business, property owner or public body responsible for the premises failed in their duty to make the area safe for the public.
Organisations have a legal duty to ensure that they have reasonable measures in place to protect your safety. When they fail in this duty and an accident occurs, you may be able to claim compensation.
If you’re not sure which organisation was responsible for the place where your injury happened, our lawyers will be able to help you find out whose responsibility it was to keep that area free from hazards.
Local authorities are responsible for inspecting and maintaining all public highways. Because of this duty, they must ensure that all roads and pavements are safe. Your claim would be against the relevant local authority if your injury was caused by:
Broken/uneven paving slabs
Potholes
Poor lighting (such as faulty lampposts)
Icy roads/pavements (due to lack of signs or grit)
Businesses and tenants are often responsible for accidents in public places and must take all reasonable steps to make sure that their premise is safe for visitors. Often known as occupiers’ liability claims, we could help if your injury happened:
In a supermarket
At a shopping centre
At a sports centre/gym
At a school/college
In restaurants/cafes
To find out more about making a claim for an accident that happened in a public place, contact us free today on 0800 056 4110.
All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.
*To make a No Win No Fee claim, you need to enter into an agreement that's linked to a suitable insurance policy. We'll explain this in more detail before we start your claim.
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All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated,