Is it possible to make a claim for slipping on a wet floor in a pub? The floor was wet because drinks had been spilled, and I suffered severe cuts after I slipped and fell on broken glass on the floor.
In order to be able to claim for slipping on a wet floor in a pub, it must be established and proven that the pub manager was responsible for your injury for allowing hazards such as a spillage and broken glass to remain on the floor for an unacceptable length of time.
When you visit a pub, you should not be placed at an excessive risk of sustaining an injury. The pub manager has a legal responsibility (termed a duty of care) to ensure the premises are clean and free from trip and slip hazards. This duty of care covers spillages on the floor, and to reduce the risk of injury to customers, spillages and dropped drinks must be cleaned promptly.
However, this duty of care is not absolute and the manager and staff must be allowed time to identify a spillage and to clean up. If a customer dropped a drink moments before your accident, it may not have been possible for the staff to have been able to prevent your slip and fall. If your accident could not have been realistically prevented under the circumstances, it may not be possible to claim for slipping on a wet pub floor.
The actions you took after having slipped and fell on a wet floor in a pub can affect whether it will be possible to recover personal injury compensation against the pub’s public liability insurance policy. For a claim to be possible you must have sought medical attention for your injuries from a doctor; as personal injury claims must be supported by medical records. You should also take photographs of your injuries as these can be submitted with your claim for slipping on a wet pub floor alongside your medical notes, and they will help to prove the extent of your injuries.
The accident should have been reported to the pub manager at the time, ideally by making an accident book report. The accident book report can be used as proof of the accident when you make a claim for slipping on a wet floor in a pub, although statements can serve this purpose if an accident book report was not made. If the pub was covered by security cameras, it may be possible to obtain a copy of the data for this purpose, and also to establish the length of time between the drink being spilled and you slipping and falling.
Claiming compensation for a slip and fall on a wet pub floor can be complicated when excessive alcohol has been consumed prior to the accident. Alcohol reduces awareness of the surroundings and makes accidents more likely to occur. However, provided you had been drinking responsibly prior to the accident this should not prevent you from being able to make a claim for having slipped and fell on a wet floor in a pub.
To find out how much compensation for a slip and fall on a wet pub floor you will be entitled to claim and to have your right to claim compensation confirmed, you should speak with a personal injury solicitor. If a claim is possible under the circumstances, a solicitor will take the necessary actions to ensure the strongest possible case can be prepared against the pub’s public liability insurance policy.