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Accidents In Public Places

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Claiming compensation for an accident in a public place

When you go out to the supermarket, visit your local park for a leisurely walk, take the family to a café for lunch or go to the cinema, you should be able to expect to do so safely. You don’t even think about the risk of getting hurt.

So if you have been to a public place and been injured or become ill because of someone else’s carelessness, it’s only right that you should be able to claim injury compensation for what’s happened to you.

We understand that even thinking about making an injury claim can be stressful after the accident, particularly if you’re still on the road to recovery. That’s why our expert advisors are available now to listen compassionately and with understanding if are thinking of making a claim. We’ll ask a few simple questions and then explain how we can assist you.

We can help you claim injury compensation on a No Win No Fee basis which means there is absolutely no financial outlay for you.  We listen carefully to your account of what happened. This means we can get a clear insight into the full extent of the injury on your personal, social and working life – and even on your future. We can then guide you as to next steps.

Call us on 0800 0511 511 or you can use our contact form if you prefer.

How do accidents in public places happen?

It is a reality of life that there is a risk of accidents wherever we go, even when you go to public places where others have a duty to protect visitors from the risk of harm. Thankfully, laws exist to protect you. The Occupiers Liability Act 1957, for example, expects those responsible for public places to ensure they take reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of individuals.

Even with these laws in place, no one can ever guarantee that an accident will not happen – whether it’s a shop or a public place operated by the local authority.  However, if an accident does happen and it wasn’t the injured person’s responsibility, it is only fair that the person or organisation responsible  for the incident should be held accountable.

So if you’ve been injured, the law protects you by allowing you to make an injury claim.

Common accidents in public places

Many different kinds of accidents and incidents can happen while people are out and about, running errands or enjoying open spaces or other activities. The most common types of accidents in public places include:

  • Parks and playgrounds

    Whether you’re going to the park for a dog walk or taking the kids to a public playground, it’s a joyous experience to be out and about enjoying the fresh air and exercise. However, injuries to children can be caused by faulty or poorly maintained playground equipment and uncleared obstacles on footpaths could result in accidents and injury. Lack of appropriate warning or hazard signs could also contribute to the risk of accidents.

    To minimise the risk of injury to park visitors, the local authority has a duty of care to take reasonable measures preventing accidents from happening.

  • Supermarkets and shops

    Sadly, accidents in shops are not as uncommon as you might think. Poorly stacked displays can collapse, spillages may be left uncleared for too long and objects can fall from high shelves causing injuries. These are often not trivial incidents – they can cause serious injury. Even in the supermarket car park, uneven surfaces or hazards left for the unwary can lead to accident and injury. It is possible you may think you may have been careless, but the fact is – shops and supermarkets have a legal duty to keep the risk of accidents to a minimum. This means that if you were injured in a shop, it’s highly likely they should be held accountable to you for what happened.

  • Restaurants, cafes and bars

    Visiting a restaurant for a meal or going to the bar for a drink with a mate is one of the great joys in life, and you should be able to enjoy doing so safely. But accidents can happen, sometimes involving scalds, poorly maintained chairs, broken glass, slipping on grease or even contracting food poisoning. If you’ve been injured or become ill after visiting a bar or café, it’s understandable to feel particularly awkward or worried about making a claim. But those running these establishments have stringent health and safety duties towards their visitors, and if they fail – you have every right to make an injury claim.

  • Train stations

    The UK public transport system is huge and includes hundreds of train stations and platforms and the London Underground. However, with the potentially large numbers of commuters and other travellers on the train and underground every day, there are obvious risks of injury for the unsuspecting: automatic ticket barriers can malfunction, platforms may not be gritted in icy weather and luggage trolleys may be left unattended and pose a risk to passengers. No one expects to travel on a train and suffer injury on their journey. Train station operators have a duty of care to keep any risk of injury to visitors to their premises to a minimum. The fact is, if you’ve had the distressing experience of being injured at a station or platform, you may well be able to claim injury compensation.

Who will my claim be against?

It can be worrying, thinking that you’ll be claiming compensation from a cash-strapped local authority or, for example, a café that is struggling to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But you need not worry – the organisations or individuals responsible for shops, parks and restaurants  and other places open to the public must have public liability insurance in place to cover the risk of injury claims. This means that should you win your claim, the money will be paid out by the insurance company, not, for instance, the café or local council.

If you have any concerns about this, you can mention them to your solicitor.

How much compensation will I receive?

The amount of compensation you are entitled to depends very much on your injuries and the impact on your life.

  • General damages

    You are entitled to what is known as ‘general damages’ which will reflect your injuries and pain and suffering. The more serious your injuries and the longer it takes to recover, the more you will receive. Every claim is individual and it can be difficult to calculate exactly how much you could claim – but you can try our online Claim Calculator to find examples of compensation amounts.

  • Special damages

    You will also be able to claim for your actual financial losses. This could include loss of earnings and overtime, the cost of prescriptions and medical treatment, travelling expenses and damaged belongings – anything that is directly related to the accident and your injuries. Be sure to keep records of what you have had to spend money on, for example, invoices and receipts so that your solicitor can claim these back for you.

What will it cost me?

We know it’s daunting to think about the costs of making a claim. You may even question whether it will be worth it.

But you need not worry. There are no upfront costs and what’s more, our specialist lawyers work on a ‘No win No fee’ basis.

Put simply, this means if you win, the other side will have to pay your legal costs and you would pay an agreed success fee to your solicitors (this is usually about 25% of your compensation). If you lose, your costs would be covered by an insurance policy (arranged by your solicitor).

So it’s reassuring to know, that if you don’t win your claim, you won’t pay a penny. 

What should I do now?

Your best move right now is to call us free on 0800 0511 511 for an initial chat about how you can make your injury claim. It can be a relief to speak with experienced advisors who understand how hard it is to think about making a claim – especially when you’re also recovering from injury.

Being involved in an accident in a public park, shop or restaurant can be as traumatic as it is unexpected. We know that whatever the nature and extent of your injury, the emotional and mental effects can be difficult to cope with.

Let us guide you through the process. Our panel of specialist solicitors are here to ensure that you receive the compensation that you are rightfully entitled to. 

Does your claim qualify

If you feel what happened was unfair, then you deserve clear advice to find out where you stand. You may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation.

Call us on 0800 0511 511

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0800 0511 511

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    By submitting this form you agree to be contacted by Accident Compensation Helpline. There is no obligation to use our service.

    Accident Compensation Helpline is a claims management company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in respect of regulated claims management activities. Our registration is recorded on the website www.fca.org.uk Our authorisation number is 830520.

    Accident Compensation Helpline provide a personal injury claims marketing service to our panel of personal injury solicitors, who are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We receive a marketing fee from our panel solicitors, ensuring that our service is free of charge to you. You are under no obligation to instruct one of our panel solcitors, you are free to use a solicitor of your choice.

    *No Win No Fee - our panel of solicitors offer a no win, no fee service. This will protect you and means that if you don’t win your claim, there will be no cost to you. Customers typically pay a success fee of 25% of the compensation awarded to cover legal costs. This may vary, but will always be agreed with your solicitors upfront. Solicitors terms and conditions apply. If you would like to know more about your options, we're here to help. It's free to talk to us and there's no pressure to start a claim.

    The compensation amounts on this website are based upon the ‘Guidelines for the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases’ from the Judicial College Guidelines. All claims are individual and the amount of compensation awarded can vary, depending upon the individual circumstances of the claim.

    © 2023 www.accident-helpline.uk.com

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        How much could your claim be worth?

        Select the injury to know the compensation amount.

        Amounts are based on government 'Guidelines for assessment of general damages in personal injury cases'

        • Neck & Back Injuries

          • Neck Injuries

            £2,450 to £7,890

            Where a full recovery takes place within a period of about one to two years.

          • Neck Injuries

            £24,990 to £38,490

            Injuries such as fractures or dislocations which cause severe immediate symptoms and which may necessitate spinal fusion.

          • Neck Injuries

            £45,470 to £148,330

            Neck injury associated with incomplete paraplegia or resulting in permanent spastic quadriparesis.

          • Back Injury

            £7,890 to £12,510

            Where a full recovery or a recovery to nuisance level takes place without surgery within about two to five years.

          • Back Injury

            £12,510 to £27,760

            Many frequently encountered injuries to the back such as disturbance of ligaments and muscles giving rise to backache, soft tissue injuries resulting in a prolonged acceleration and / or exacerbation of a pre-existing back condition.

          • Back Injury

            £91,090 to £160,980

            Cases of the most severe injury involving damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots, leading to a combination of very serious consequences not normally found in cases of back injury.

        • Head Injuries

          • Brain or Head Injury

            £2,210 to £12,770

            In these cases brain damage, if any, will have been minimal. The bottom of the bracket will reflect full recovery within a few weeks.

          • Brain Damage

            £43,060 to £219,0700

            This category is distinguished from the moderately severe category by the fact that the degree of dependence is markedly lower.

          • Brain Damage

            £219,070 to £282,010

            The insured person will be very seriously disabled. There will be substantial dependence on others and a need for constant professional and other care.

          • Brain Damage

            £282,010 to £403,990

            In cases at the top of this bracket there may be some ability to follow basic commands, recovery of eye opening and return of sleep and waking patterns and postural reflex movement.

        • Shoulder Injuries

          • Shoulder Injury

            £2,450 to £7,890

            Soft tissue injury to your shoulder with considerable pain but almost complete recovery within one to two years.

          • Shoulder Injury

            £7,890 to £12,770

            Frozen shoulder with limitation of movement and discomfort with symptoms persisting for about two years. Also soft tissue injuries with more than minimal symptoms persisting after two years but not permanent. Often associated with neck injuries and involving damage to the brachial plexus resulting in significant disability.

          • Fracture of Clavicle

            £5,150 to £12,240

            The level of the award will depend on extent of fracture, level of disability, residual symptoms, and whether temporary or permanent, and whether union is anatomically displaced.

        • Eye Injuries

          • Eye Injury

            £3,950 to £8,730

            In this bracket fall cases of minor injuries, such as being struck in the eye, exposure to fumes including smoke, or being splashed by liquids, causing initial pain and some temporary interference with vision.

          • Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye

            £49,270 to £54,830

            This award takes account of some risk of sympathetic ophthalmia.

          • Total Loss of One Eye

            £54,830 to £65,710

            The level of the award within the bracket will depend on age, psychiatric consequences, and cosmetic effect.

        • Hearing Loss

          • Partial Hearing Loss and/or Tinnitus

            £7,010 to £45,540

            This category covers the bulk of deafness cases which usually result from exposure to noise at work over a prolonged period.

          • Total Loss of Hearing in One Ear

            £31,310 to £45,540

            Cases will tend towards the higher end of the bracket where there are associated problems, such as tinnitus, dizziness or headaches.

          • Total Deafness

            £90,750 to £109,650

            The lower end of the bracket is appropriate for cases where there is no speech deficit or tinnitus. The higher end is appropriate for cases involving both of these.

        • Facial Injuries

          • Fractures of Nose or Nasal Complex

            £3,950 to £5,100

            (Displaced fracture where recovery is complete but only after surgery.)

          • Fractures of Cheekbones

            £10,200 to £15,780

            Serious Fractures requiring surgery but with lasting consequences such as paraesthesia in the cheeks or the lips or some element of disfigurement.

          • Fractures of Jaws

            £17,960 to £30,490

            Serious fracture with permanent consequences such as difficulty in opening the mouth or with eating or where there is paraesthesia in the area of the jaw.

          • Damage to Teeth

            £8,730 to £11,410

            Loss of or serious damage to several front teeth.

        • Arm Injuries

          • Loss Of One Arm

            Not less than £137,160

            Arm amputated at the shoulder.

          • Arm Injury

            £19,200 to £39,170

            While there will have been significant disabilities, a substantial degree of recovery will have taken place or will be expected.

          • Simple Fractures

            £6,610 to £19,200

            Simple Fractures of the Forearm.

        • Elbow Injuries

          • Elbow Injury

            £39,170 to £54,830

            A Severely Disabling Injury.

          • Elbow Injury

            £15,650 to £32,010

            Injuries causing impairment of function but not involving major surgery or significant disability.

          • Elbow Injury

            Up to £12,590

            Most elbow injuries fall into this category. They comprise simple fractures, tennis elbow syndrome and lacerations; i.e., those injuries which cause no permanent damage and do not result in any permanent impairment of function.

        • Wrist Injuries

          • Wrist Injuries

            £3,530 to £4,740

            Undisplaced or minimal displaced fractures and soft tissue injuries necessitating application of plaster or bandage for a matter of weeks and a full or virtual recovery within up to 12 months or so.

          • Wrist Injuries

            £12,590 to £24,500

            Where these still result in some permanent disability as, for example, a degree of persisting pain and stiffness.

          • Wrist Injuries

            £47,620 to £59,860

            Injuries resulting in complete loss of function in the wrist, for example, where an arthrodesis has been performed.

        • Hand / Finger Injuries

          • Damage to Both Hands

            £55,820 to £84,570

            Such injuries will have given rise to permanent cosmetic disability and significant loss of function.

          • Hand Injury

            £5,720 to £13,280

            Crush injuries, penetrating wounds, soft tissue type and deep lacerations. The top of the bracket would be appropriate where surgery has failed and permanent disability remains. The bottom of the bracket would be appropriate for permanent but non-intrusive symptoms.

          • Hand Injuries

            £12,170 to £18,740

            Total Loss of Index Finger.

          • Hand Injuries

            £35,520 to £54,830

            Loss of Thumb.

        • Hip / Pelvis Injury

          • Hip / Pelvis Injury

            £39,170 to £130,930

            Extensive fractures of the pelvis involving, for example, dislocation of a low back joint and a reputed bladder, or a hip injury resulting in spondylolisthesis of a low back joint with intolerable pain and necessitating spinal fusion.

          • Hip / Pelvis Injury

            £26,590 to £39,170

            Significant injury to the pelvis or hip but any permanent disability is not major and any future risk not great.

          • Hip / Pelvis Injury

            £3,950 to £12,950

            Cases where despite significant injury there is little or no residual disability. Where there has been a complete recovery within two years, the award may but is unlikely to exceed the mid-point in the range.

        • Leg Injuries

          • Above-Knee Amputation of One Leg

            £104,830 to £137,470

            The award will depend upon such factors as the level of the amputation; the severity of any phantom pains; associated psychological problems; the success of any prosthetics; any side effects such as backache and the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the remaining joints of both lower limbs or in the hips and spine.

          • Leg Injury

            £39,200 to £54,830

            Serious compound or comminuted fractures or injuries to joints or ligaments resulting in instability, prolonged treatment, a lengthy period of non-weight-bearing, the near certainty that arthritis will ensue; extensive scarring. To justify an award within this bracket a combination of such features will generally be necessary.

          • Leg Injury

            £17,960 to £27,760

            Fractures from which an incomplete recovery is made or serious soft tissue injuries.

          • Leg Injuries

            £9,110 to £14,080

            Simple fracture of a femur with no damage to articular surfaces.

        • Knee Injuries

          • Knee Injury

            £26,190 to £96,210

            Serious knee injury where there has been disruption of the joint, the development of ostearthristis, gross ligamentous damage, lengthy treatment, considerable pain and loss of function, an arthroplasty or arthrodesis has taken place or is inevitable.

          • Knee Injury

            £14,840 to £26,190

            Injuries involving dislocation, torn cartilage or meniscus which results in minor instability, wasting, weakness, or other mild future disability.

        • Ankle Injuries

          • Ankle Injury

            £31,310 to £50,060

            Injuries necessitating and extensive period of treatment and/or a lengthy period in plaster or where pins and plates have been inserted and there is significant residual disability in the form of ankle instability and severely limited ability to walk.

          • Ankle Injury

            £13,740 to £26,590

            Fractures, ligamentous tears and the like which give rise to less serious disabilities such as difficulty in walking on uneven ground, difficulty standing or walking for long periods of time, awkwardness on stairs, irritation from metal plates and residual scarring.

          • Ankle Injury

            Up to £13,740

            The less serious, minor or undisplaced fractures, sprains and ligamentous injuries.

        • Toe Injuries

          • Toe Injury

            In the region of £31,310

            Amputation of the Great Toe.

          • Toe Injuries

            Up to £9,600

            These injuries include relatively straight forward fractures or the exacerbation of a pre-existing degenerative condition or laceration injuries to one or more toes.

        • Hair Damage

          • Hair / Scalp Injuries

            £7,340 to £11,020

            Damage to hair in consequence of defective permanent waving, tinting, or the like, where the effects are dermatitis, eczema or tingling or 'burning' of the scalp causing dry, brittle hair, which breaks off and/or falls out, leading to distress, depression, embarrassment and loss of confidence, and inhibitating social life

          • Hair / Scalp Injuries

            Up to £9,600

            Less serious versions of the above where symptoms are fewer or only of a minor character; also, cases where hair has been pulled out leaving bald patches.

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                  Or if you would like to speak with our friendly advisors right now – simply call

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                    Let's get started

                    Fill in your details below to start your claim – with no obligation


                    Or if you would like to speak with our friendly advisors right now – simply call

                    0800 0511 511

                    < Back

                      Are you entitled to compensation?

                      Fill in your details below for free advice – with no obligation


                      Or to speak with our friendly advisors right now - simply call

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