Accidents in Public Places

What is a duty of care?

A duty of care is a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of others.  When you visit business premises you do so in the expectation that those premises are safe, and that you will not be exposed to an avoidable risk of injury whilst there.  This is what we mean by a ‘duty of care’. Likewise, a dog owner owes you a duty of care to take reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of their dog biting you. Local authorities (councils) have a responsibility to ensure that public pavements, roads, parks, etc are regularly inspected and well-maintained to avoid members of the public suffering injury.

What should I do if I think I have a claim?

If your accident occurred in business premises you should let the business owner or manager know you have been injured so they can make a record in their accident book.  We advise you take lots of photos of the scene and the defect that caused the accident and where possible take the names and contact details of any witnesses. Have a look around to see if your accident might have been caught on CCTV.  If you were visiting a business such as a shop or restaurant and you have a receipt for a purchase, you should keep hold of it. All of these things act as evidence that can help us later on with your claim, but don’t worry if you were not able to gather evidence at the time of the accident, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a claim.  You should contact us as the earliest opportunity so we can give you advice specific to your accident and start your claim.

What do you charge?

The vast majority of clients who have suffered injuries in public places opt for our ‘no win, no fee’ model, which means we only get paid if we win your case, and if you do win, we limit your contribution to our legal fees so you will always recover at least 75% of the compensation you are awarded.  Our focus is on maximising the level of your compensation.  We will discuss this with you at the outset of your case. Read more here.