Personal injury
Slip and fall compensation: who is responsible for autumn leaves?
You can tell the seasons are changing and summer is no longer with us when stories about slip and fall accidents due to the weather traipse into your news feed.
Summer is a distant memory as throughout autumn and winter, fallen leaves become the cause of many accidents. When left to pile up beneath the elements, wet leaves form a slippery surface that also conceals any potentially hazardous defects to the ground beneath, such as loose cobbles, pot holes or cracks in the pavement.
Who is responsible if you fall?
As it is nature, and to be expected for the leaves to fall come autumn and winter, many people are injured in a public place due to a slip and fall on wet leaves but are unaware that they can claim compensation.
If you were to slip on a wet floor in a shopping centre or a fall down faulty steps at a restaurant, a compensation claim would be raised against the management responsible for maintaining health and safety on their premises. In the case of wet leaves, it is usually your local council who are responsible.
Though your local council can’t control the seasons and the weather, it is their responsibility to ensure that fallen leaves do not become hazardous. The same applies to pot holes, which cause many UK councils thousands of pounds in compensation claims due to accidents and damages to vehicles. Pot holes are the result of wet weather conditions, yet resurfacing roads and cordoning off hazardous areas is the responsibility of the council.
How do I make a compensation claim for a slip, trip or fall?
It's important to make sure you can prove that your slip, trip or accident occurred due to someone else's negligence. You should take photos of the location the incident took place, making sure that you capture the direct cause of your accident, such as an uneven paving stone for example.
You should also try to get the contact details of any witnesses, as well as photographs of your injuries, and details of any medical treatment you received. If you are in a public building, you should also try to find out who owns it. Once you have gathered all of this evidence, it's time to discuss the possibility of making a No Win No Fee compensation claim with a specialist claims solicitor.
Speak to a specialist personal injury solicitor
Slater and Gordon Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience in handling slip and fall compensation claims in public places on a No Win No Fee basis. For a free consultation call us on 0330 041 5869 or contact us online and we’ll be happy to help you.
All information was correct at the time of publication.
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