Slips, Trips and Falls

The cause of your accident may be simple: you tripped over something. But your injuries – and the treatment, care and rehabilitation you need to recover – may be much more complex.

Treatment at the scene may be quick in most cases but care and rehabilitation takes time.

Broken wrists are a common trip injury. People instinctively reach out to break their fall – but instead suffer a painful and debilitating scaphoid fracture. These injuries have potentially serious consequences – especially if the break is not treated properly (leading to a possible medical negligence claim).

Some victims never fully recover from their injuries. Yes, they might be able to get by from day-to-day – but their broken arm, wrist, leg or ankle never quite feels the same again. It may never be as strong as it was before.

Aside from the impact that may have on their work, their hobbies and general enjoyment, it can be a permanent and frustrating daily reminder that their physical health and well-being is not as good as it was before – and may never be.

Much more money than you might think – either because of your injuries, the treatment required or the impact on your daily life. Especially if you lose earnings.

In one recent case, we helped a 39-year-old Bournemouth nail technician to claim £87,000 after she stumbled on an unsafe step at a restaurant.  

Elderly people can be particularly vulnerable to fall injuries. They may be less likely to see or avoid hazards – and when they do fall, their injuries can be much greater because their bones are more fragile.

One lady in her seventies received a £15,000 compensation settlement after breaking her left shoulder and chipping a tooth in a fall. Our personal injury solicitors helped her to claim compensation after she tripped over a badly placed mat at a Poole supermarket.

Compensation payouts are often higher for accident victims who have to take time off work and lose earnings (both now and in the future).

But the case above shows that elderly people can still successfully claim significant sums in compensation – even though they are retired and unable to claim for loss of earnings.

Regrettably, there is no shortage of companies, organisations and individuals causing trip hazards. 

For some, it might be a one-off lapse – albeit one with serious consequences. For others, it might be just the latest mistake in a long record of health and safety failures. 

Defendants in slip, trip and fall cases tend to be the following organisations (and/or their insurers):

• councils/local authorities and their contractors
• government departments, agencies and their contractors
• companies – either publicly listed on the stock market or privately owned
• your employer – if you slipped on a trip hazard at work
• supermarkets, shopping centres and other retail outlets
• hotels, B&Bs and campsites
• gyms, sports centres, leisure facilities and attractions
• schools, colleges and universities.

Coles Miller handles virtually all personal injury claims on a No Win No Fee basis. So you pay:

• nothing in advance
• nothing in the unlikely event that your claim does not succeed.

There are no upfront costs for you to pay. We carry the costs while your case is progressing. 

You pay us only if we win your case. Our legal fees would be covered by a success fee (up to 25%) from the payout awarded by the court.

We can provide you with After the Event (ATE) insurance that allows us to seek expert medical opinion to support your claim. We incur the cost of these reports – so you don’t have to pay for them.

It’s a very stress-free way of claiming compensation:

• we do all the hard work sourcing expert medical reports – leaving you free to concentrate on recovering from your injuries 
• we pay for the reports – so there’s no financial risk to you.

ATE insurance allows us to progress your claim when other solicitors may either ask you to pay for expert medical advice or reject your claim altogether.

If your claim succeeds (and most of ours do), then the cost of the ATE insurance premium (from £400) would be covered by your damages payout.

In the unlikely event of your claim not succeeding, then there is no premium to pay. We would cover the cost.

Find out more here about No Win No Fee compensation claims.

Almost certainly not – virtually all of our personal injury claims are settled out of court. 

Our highly experienced injury solicitors will:

• handle your claim from start to finish, taking away all the stress and worry
• keep you informed in plain English every step of the way – so you’re always in control
• advise you how best to proceed to help get the highest possible compensation payout for your injuries.

We will try to secure an admission of liability from the other side as soon as we can. That gives you a greater degree of certainty – and it will help if we need to secure interim compensation for you.

Interim compensation is an early initial payment to help pay for your treatment and care while the full extent of liability and damages are being determined. Getting good treatment early on is important because it can help you to make a faster and better recovery.

Act as soon as possible – there is a three-year time-limit on personal injury claims (with exceptions for victims aged under 18 or for people with reduced mental capacity).

Has the three-year time limit passed? It’s still worth contacting us because we’ve been successful at getting this time limit lifted for some cases. 

Get expert advice from a solicitor who specialises in personal injury claims. Not all law firms handle these claims (and some that do may have only basic experience).

Coles Miller has decades of expertise and experience in long and complex cases involving life-changing brain and spinal injuries. Our Personal Injury Department is led by Managing partner Adrian Cormack, an APIL Accredited Brain Injury Specialist and APIL Senior Litigator.

Some law firms are reluctant to take on cases that are approaching the three-year limit or that – in their eyes – may not be sufficiently large or profitable enough for them. But Coles Miller has a long history of getting justice and compensation for all kinds of personal injury victims – regardless of how big or small their claim may be.

Have you already tried phoning a solicitor with your claim? Did they reject it? Get a second opinion from Coles Miller – we would still like to hear from you. We may be able to help you when another law firm could not.

Get immediate help if you are injured in a fall. Passers-by are almost always happy to help you – and they can act as witnesses. Always get contact details – and ideally get a statement from them at the scene if you can. Note down details while they are still fresh in the memory.

Get medical help – get yourself checked out by paramedics or in hospital. Your injuries could be worse than they first appear.

Record as much about the scene and circumstances of your accident as you can. Make notes about what caused your accident, the conditions, weather and visibility. Take photos and a video on your mobile phone.

Did the accident happen at business premises? Make sure the staff record it properly in their Accident Book (which they are legally obliged to have).

Do not be pressured into signing anything! Get legal advice first.

Keep detailed records of any injuries and/or damage to your clothes and property. Photograph and video the injuries and damage.